Russia And Moldova To Sign Agreement On Russian Gas Deliveries To Moldova

Russia and Moldova are expected to sign an agreement on Russian gas deliveries to Moldova during the CIS anniversary summit in Moscow, said Moldova's President Vladimir Voronin, who is currently in Moscow for a working visit, at a press conference on Tuesday. Mr. Voronin said that such an agreement had been reached between him and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov. Answering journalists' questions on restructuring Moldova's gas debts to Russia, Mr. Voronin said that "only 20 percent of the debt is still to be paid." The Moldovan leader highly assessed the level of economic cooperation between Russia and Moldova. According to him, Russia is Moldova's leading economic partner. This year, the economic relations have been developing even more successfully, the president stressed. As to Chisinau's joining the Russian-Belarussian Union, Moldova's president said, "we do not want a de jure membership." "We want to fill with real content our de facto membership in the union," he added. According to Mr. Voronin, Chisinau has already appointed its representative to the Russian-Belarussian Union.