CHISINAU, February 7. /TASS/: The Moldovan government has restored relations with the Russian cabinet, the country’s Prime Minister Ion Chicu told NTV Moldova on Friday.
"I held talks with Russia’s former prime minister and with the current one," he pointed out. According to Chicu, the resumption of dialogue has made it possible to expand the list of Moldova’s export goods that are not subject to customs duties and issue additional permits to Moldovan transportation companies to deliver cargo to Russia.
"We agreed to extend the contract on gas supplies and reduce the price of Russian gas by $60 per 1,000 cubic meter," Chicu noted. He added that agreements had also been reached concerning Russian investment in Moldova’s infrastructure facilities. "We have agreed that the Russian government will provide a loan with a focus on infrastructure investment," the prime minister noted, adding that talks were in final stages.
Moldovan President Igor Dodon said earlier that Russia would grant Moldova a loan of about $300 mln for the development of the country’s infrastructure facilities. According to him, some of the relevant projects may be implemented before the end of the year. Former Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak also confirmed plans to provide a loan to Moldova.
A new cabinet led by Ion Chicu was formed in Moldova in November 2019. Soon afterwards, the country’s new prime minister made a visit to Moscow. Moldova’s former Prime Minister Maia Sandu repeatedly announced plans to visit Russia but never acted on them, while her predecessor Pavel Filip had barred state officials from visiting Russia. This was one of the reasons for the lack of contacts between the two countries. Meanwhile, President Dodon and his Party of Socialists keep calling for cooperation with Moscow.
