The Republic of Moldova proposed to Gazprom a payment of only 8.6 million dollars representing the debt to the Russian giant, which however claims 709 million dollars, according to AFP.

The amount proposed by the Republic of Moldova is based on an audit carried out by two international agencies. This dispute regarding the debt of the Russian-Moldovan company Moldovagaz dates back to before the start of the invasion of Ukraine and stems from a sudden increase in tariffs decided by Moscow in 2021. The authorities in Chisinau, however, say that the value claimed by Gazprom is not real, and that ” they will not pay a non-existent debt,” according to Reuters.

“Citizens of the Republic of Moldova should not bear the burden of non-existent debts to Gazprom,” said Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean, in a statement, according to Agerpres.

“Following the external audit, we strongly reject the alleged debts,” he added.

Norwegian agency Wikborg Rein and UK-based Forensic Risk Alliance have estimated that Moldovagaz, which is 50% owned by Gazprom and 36.6% by the government of the Republic of Moldova, may have to write off most of its debt his, in part because of the lack of documents.

Gazprom, in a statement broadcast on Telegram on Wednesday, stated that the audit’s conclusions “cannot in any way affect the value and validity of the respective debt”, insisting that they were confirmed in “documents duly signed by Gazprom and Moldovagaz”.

“Gazprom categorically disagrees with the statements of the Moldovan side and intends to continue to defend its rights by all possible means,” added the quoted source.