Audit Does Not Confirm That Moldova Owes Gazprom $800 Million, Says President

The international auditing firm hired by the Moldovan government has not disclosed a debt of $800 million to Gazprom, stated President Maia Sandu.

“Next week our government will announce that we have hired an international company that conducted an audit and has stated that we do not owe Gazprom $800 million. According to the president, Moldovan authorities rejected an offer to sign obligations towards Gazprom to repay the debt, stating that “this is an incredibly large amount” and the country cannot agree to it.

One of the main conditions under which Gazprom's management agreed to extend Moldova's gas supply contract for the next five years in October 2021 was the repayment of fuel debts and timely payments. Subsequently, Gazprom's official representative, Sergey Kupriyanov, reported that the debt of Moldovagaz amounts to $433 million, but taking into account the delays in payments, the total has reached $709 million. Moldova claimed that its debt was $590.8 million, while the $800 million figure mentioned by Sandu had not previously been reported.