CHISINAU, March 6. /TASS/. Moldovan President Maia Sandu has urged the country’s citizens to prepare for rising prices not only for fuel but also for other goods due to the crisis triggered by the war in the Middle East.
"If this war continues, we will be talking not only about rising prices for energy resources but also for other goods. We must understand that the problem may become more serious. We are trying to preserve certain reserves, but we do not produce fuel — we are completely dependent on imports. I believe that local producers should prepare for a negative scenario that implies higher prices," Sandu said on the air of the Jurnal TV channel.
According to her, the prevailing uncertainty is complicating economic forecasts. "There are more and more conflicts, and therefore it is clear that we can rely less and less on the global world and global rules," Sandu added.
The Moldovan government has introduced a 60-day state of alert in the energy sector due to the situation in Iran and the Persian Gulf. The authorities are attempting to build up fuel reserves for domestic consumption, in particular in case of possible disruptions to electricity supply. In addition, the authorities have imposed restrictions on electricity sales to private organizations during peak hours as part of the heightened readiness regime in the energy sector introduced by the government.
Moldova is experiencing an energy crisis due to rising prices for gas and electricity. Last year, Ukraine halted the transit of Russian gas through its territory. This led to a reduction in electricity generation at the Moldavskaya GRES power plant (Transnistria). In this situation, Moldova has fully switched to purchasing gas and electricity from European suppliers. However, power transmission lines in that direction periodically fail to withstand the load and shut down.