Transdniestria to accept EU support in overcoming energy crisis - leader

TIRASPOL. Jan 29 (Interfax) - The unrecognized Transdniestrian Moldovan Republic welcomes the European Union's offer of support in providing it with natural gas and will accept it, Transdniestrian leader Vadim Krasnoselsky said.

"We've been asked whether we agree or not. I'll tell you frankly, when we're in such conditions, it would be ridiculous to decline. Therefore we certainly welcome the EU's help," Krasnoselsky told journalists in Tiraspol on Wednesday.

A number of EU officials said on Monday that Brussels was willing to help Tiraspol with gas and Chisinau with electricity, he said.

"The negotiator from Tiraspol, Mr. (Vitaly) Ignatyev, yesterday received a letter from the Moldovan deputy prime minister for reintegration, Mr. [Oleg] Serebrian. It states clearly that the Moldovan government was prepared to offer a grant in the amount of 30 million euros to Transdniestria to purchase gas. The funding is provided by the EU," Krasnoselsky said.

"Ignatyev informed Serebrian in writing that we agree and proposed arranging a joint conference of specialists within the shortest possible time," he said.

On Wednesday, the Moldovan energy company Moldovagaz, a subsidiary of Russia's Gazprom, and LLC Tiraspoltransgaz, a Transdniestrian gas transport company, signed a contract under which Moldova would provide Transdniestria with 3 million cubic meters of gas to maintain the regional gas transport system's functioning.

Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean said earlier that the EU offered a 30-million-euro grant to purchase an amount of natural gas for Transdniestria sufficient for a period from February 1 to 10. In exchange, Tiraspol would have to supply electricity to the right bank of the Dniester river at a pre-crisis rate of $66 per MW/h, which Recean referred to as a second component of the anti-crisis package the European Commission proposed for Moldova.

A third component of the package implies the implementation of a comprehensive program to enhance Moldova's energy resilience in the next two years through investing in the country's energy infrastructure to increase generation and lowering rates for households.