CHISINAU, December 26. /TASS/. Moldova could facilitate more stable gas supplies to Transnistria if it participated in organizing deliveries, which are currently paid by Russia but blocked by EU banks, the leader of the opposition Socialist Party and former President Igor Dodon said in an interview with Exclusive TV.

"The authorities should treat Transnistria as part of the territory of the Republic of Moldova. That means that when purchasing energy resources, the needs of the left bank (of the Dniester - Transnistria - TASS) must be taken into account. The problem is that the tariffs paid on the right bank cannot be paid by the population on the left bank. But I believe a solution can be found, given that Russia covers part of the required funds <...>," Dodon said.

According to him, the pro-Western government in Chisinau is not interested in overcoming the energy crisis in Transnistria.

"They want to keep the region under short-term pressure, and, in my opinion, this is also a tool for economic pressure on the Transnistrian region, so that it will yield politically in the possible process of reintegration of the country. In my opinion, this is not the best idea," the politician noted.

After President Maia Sandu came to power in Moldova in 2020, contacts between the leaders of the two banks of the Dniester ceased, and relations between Chisinau and the Transnistrian region, where over 200,000 Russian citizens live, began to deteriorate. In 2022, Ukraine closed a section of its border with Transnistria, and Moldova imposed new conditions on the region's foreign economic activity. At that time, the president of the unrecognized republic, Vadim Krasnoselsky, accused Chisinau of using the region's vulnerable position to strangle it economically. He said that Transnistrian companies began to be subject to discrimination and double taxation.

The situation was exacerbated by Ukraine's decision to stop transiting Russian gas through its territory in January of this year. While Chisinau switched to energy supplies from European countries, industrial plants in Transnistria were shut down, and apartment buildings were left without heat or hot water for about a month, with temperatures below freezing. The critical situation was resolved after Russia intervened, purchasing gas for Transnistria from European energy companies. However, European banks periodically delay payment transactions, resulting in interruptions in gas supplies.