CHISINAU: Moldova introduces a state of emergency due to the threat of a humanitarian crisis in connection with the possible termination ...
CHISINAU: Moldova introduces a state of emergency due to the threat of a humanitarian crisis in connection with the possible termination of Russian gas transit through Ukraine, according to the decree approved by the parliament on the proposal of Prime Minister Dorin Recean.
"Declare a state of emergency on the entire territory of the Republic of Moldova for a 60-day period starting from December 16, 2024," said the document, approved by the lawmakers of the Party of Action and Solidarity. During this period, the government's Commission for Emergency Situations is authorized to issue orders binding both state institutions and economic agents.
The opposition refused to support the decree. Its consideration began late in the evening, as the lawmakers spent the whole day listening to the authorities' reports on violations in the past presidential election.
On the eve, Moldova held a meeting of the Commission for Emergency Situations, which stated that the crisis could provoke an electricity shortage in the winter period, since the Moldavskaya power plant (located in Transnistria), which feeds the power grids on both banks of the Dniester River, operates on Russian gas. According to the Moldovan government, coal reserves have been formed in Transnistria that should be sufficient to supply only domestic consumers on the left bank of the river for 30 to 50 days. The right-bank part of the country will have to import electricity through Romania's power grids, which have so far been able to supply only half of Moldova's needs because they export a lot to Ukraine.
Yesterday, the Transnistrian authorities also declared a state of economic emergency. A humanitarian catastrophe is looming on the left bank, as domestic consumers and industry in Transnistria are completely dependent on supplies of cheap gas from Russia. The president of the unrecognized republic, Vadym Krasnoselsky, urged Moldova and Russia to reach an agreement with Ukraine to maintain transit.
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