CHISINAU, November 11. /TASS/. The gas distribution company Moldovagaz paid for 99.3% of the gas supplied by Gazprom this year.

"As of October 31, 2022, payments for the natural gas consumed this year totaled 9.731 billion lei ($506 million) and covers 99.3% of the volume of supplies," Vadim Cheban, chairman of the board of Moldovagaz, wrote in his Telegram channel on Friday.

Debt repayment and timely payments were among the main conditions on which Gazprom agreed in October 2021 to extend the contract for gas supplies to Moldova for the next five years. One of the clauses of the agreement implies that Moldovagaz was to pay for the cost of gas consumed in the previous month, as well as half of the volume consumed in the current month, by the 20th day of each month.

Moldovagaz faced financial difficulties after the country’s authorities tried to artificially contain the increase in domestic tariffs. In this situation, the company repeatedly delayed payments and received a notification from Gazprom about a possible cessation of supplies. In such a situation, government intervention and the introduction of a state of emergency in Moldova were required.