MINSK, November 28 (RIA Novosti) - Russia has agreed to lift its embargo on imports of Moldovan wine and meat, the Russian president said Tuesday after bilateral talks with his Moldovan counterpart.

Russia banned imports of Moldovan wines in March 2006 over concerns that they contained traces of pesticides and heavy metals. Meat imports and transit from Moldova were prohibited in April 2005 also on health and safety grounds.

"We have agreed on the resumption of imports of Moldovan wine and meat," Vladimir Putin said after a summit of the CIS, an alliance of Soviet republics in the Belarusian capital, Minsk.

He said both Russian and Moldovan experts will conduct joint inspections at Moldovan production facilities to check quality and prevent supplies of contraband goods.

Putin said he had agreed with his Moldovan counterpart, Vladimir Voronin, to resume consultations on the breakaway republic of Transdnestr.

"I have agreed with the president of Moldova to resume consultations, given that a huge amount of work has been implemented at the expert level to secure rapprochement," the Russian leader said.

Voronin said political talks on regional problems had "good prospects."

Transdnestr, which has a largely Russian-speaking population, broke away from Moldova after a bloody war in the 1990s, and recently asked Russia for recognition and eventual annexation.