Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met in Moscow on March 17 with Igor Smirnov, leader of the breakaway Transdniester republic. A subsequent statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said recognition of the equality of both negotiating sides is a prerequisite for unblocking the current impasse in the negotiating process. Smirnov for his part affirmed his readiness to sit down at the negotiating table with Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin.
