Gazprom said the parties will sign a relevant contract by the end of the year.
As of 2008, the gas price will gradually rise to reach average European rates of $250 per 1,000 cubic meters by 2011.
The Moldovan government and Gazprom will soon sign a protocol defining the terms of Russia-Moldova cooperation in the gas sector. In particular, it will fix the parties' agreement to increase Gazprom's share in Moldovagaz and gas-distributing enterprises in the republic.
Russia will have delivered some 2.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Moldova in 2006, according to official estimates. Gazprom said in 2005 it supplied 2.82 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Moldova.
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Earlier this year, Russia supplied natural gas to Moldova at $110 per 1,000 cubic meters, then raised the price to $160 per 1,000 cubic meters in July.
