ST. PETERSBURG, June 18. /TASS/. Moldova's economy will not survive without Russia, Moldovan politician Igor Dodon said at a meeting with Russian Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

"If we look at the structure of exports, the biggest part is re-export. For the second year already, our exports have been falling in all directions. Not only <...> due to political decisions, but to the EU as well. Because the lack of competitiveness of our goods in the situation of expensive energy resources has increased. We cannot compete either within the country with imports or in foreign markets," Dodon said.

He noted that a lot of enterprises are closing in the republic.

"Therefore, of course, we understand this, we will return to dialogue. We must definitely turn over the black page of four years and move on to the next stage," the Moldovan politician said.

Dodon added that he plans to meet with representatives of the Russian Energy Ministry at the forum and discuss the energy situation in Moldova.

After Ukraine halted the transit of Russian gas to Europe on January 1, and due to Chisinau’s refusal to settle its debt to Gazprom, both Moldova and Transnistria were left without gas supplies. Furthermore, Tiraspol experienced a full gas blockade. Industrial facilities in Transnistria were shut down, power outages were imposed, and residential buildings had no heating or hot water during freezing temperatures.

On February 14, the European energy company MET Group, owned by Hungarian investors, announced the start of gas supplies to Moldova. After that, the Transnistrian authorities said that gas was flowing to their region seamlessly, adding that gas was delivered thanks to Russia’s credit and financial support.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) is under way on June 18-21. This year, the forum’s main theme is "Shared Values: The Foundation of Growth in a Multipolar World." The Roscongress Foundation is the organizer of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. TASS is its information partner.