Russia wants to have full access to foster children adopted by US families, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday.
Russia's top diplomat, citing the new Russia-US agreement on child adoptions, said Russia currently lacks access to Russian foster children in the United States, while cases of child abuse against adoptees continue to take place.
“Starting November 1, it will be legally binding in Russia and the United States and we will be insisting on the absolutely full and scrupulous implementation of this [new agreement],” Lavrov said.
The agreement, signed into law by President Vladimir Putin and set to take force on November 1, makes a number of changes including to the existing legislation, including closer scrutiny into prospective foster parents before and after adoptions.
Russian officials allege at least 19 Russian children have died following abuse by American foster parents since US adoption of Russian children began in the early 1990s.
Since 1999, American families have adopted more than 45,000 Russian children.
Adoptions, however, have slowed recently after a series of high-profile adoption abuse cases.
For instance, Miles Harrison, an American father whose adopted toddler son died after being left behind in a sweltering car, was found not guilty in 2008 of involuntary manslaughter in a ruling that infuriated Russian officials.
They were also outraged when Torry Hansen, an American mother, sent her 7-year-old adoptee son in 2010 back to Russia unaccompanied after deciding he had too many emotional problems.
