Gagauzia asked Russia for direct gas supplies at preferential rates

The delegation of Gagauzia (an autonomous territorial entity within Moldova) asked Russia to provide autonomy with direct preferential gas supplies, the head of Gagauzia Evgenia Gutsul said at a briefing following the trip. The authorities also intend to open Mir payment system accounts for residents of the autonomy and establish trade with Russia.

“I appealed to the Russian leadership so that residents of the autonomy could receive gas from Gazprom at a reduced tariff. There is full understanding and support on this issue. Now we are discussing with them the size of the special tariff for Gagauzia, how gas will be supplied legally and practical details,” said Mrs. Gutsul (video recording published by the TV channel Privesc).

According to her, the supply of Turkish gas to Gagauzia was disrupted by the Moldovan authorities “out of lawlessness.” During her speech, Evgenia Gutsul said that she had agreed with Moscow to open remote accounts of the Mir payment system for residents of the autonomy. According to her, this is necessary to pay bonuses and benefits to residents, and will also allow developing trade relations with Russia.

The Gagauz delegation was on a visit to Russia from March 1 to 8. The head of the autonomy Evgenia Gutsul met with the chairman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation Valentina Matvienkowith the first deputy head of the presidential administration Sergei KiriyenkoPresident of Russia Vladimir Putin and heads of the Krasnodar Territory, Penza and Pskov regions.

Evgeniy Gutsul headed the autonomy in May 2023. She has repeatedly expressed interest in strengthening relations with Russia. Moldovan President Maia Sandu said that the elections in Gagauzia were held with numerous violations. A criminal case was opened against Evgenia Gutsul, but then it was dropped due to the lack of corpus delicti.

Read more about Ms. Gutsul’s trip to Russia in the material “To each his own”.

Alexandra Goroshilova