Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu responded critically to Igor Dodon’s proposal for Moldova to purchase natural gas from Russia through the Turkish Stream pipeline, saying that such initiatives raise suspicions.
The head of Parliament explained that rising gas tariffs and fuel prices are linked to the tense international situation, including the war in the Middle East and security challenges in the Black Sea region.
According to Grosu, Kazakhstan, which is Romania’s largest supplier of petroleum products, has reduced exports due to attacks on energy infrastructure.
“We have to look at all of this in context. We cannot say that the Turkish Stream pipeline is sitting empty, waiting for him to come and say: turn on the gas. This is a very populist and irresponsible approach, and the worst part is that he knows he is saying things that are not true. He is not that uninformed in this field. He knows how things work. (…) If he knew in March that bombings would start in July, why did he keep silent?” Grosu commented on Dodon’s proposal.
Grosu also accused Dodon of presenting the issue in a misleading way and suggested that his proposal was politically motivated.
Igor Dodon reiterated on July 23, before the Parliament’s session, that Moldova should return to direct gas supplies from the Russian Federation, arguing that there are technical possibilities to import gas through the Turkish Stream pipeline.