The third and possibly final round of talks between Russia and the U.S. on a bilateral agreement on children adoption will be held in Washington on June 14-16, Russia's child ombudsman said on Thursday.
The press service said in a statement that the U.S. side handed to Russia an amended text of the agreement.
"All these amendments are immaterial in nature, they do not go beyond agreements, previously reached during talks in Moscow," Pavel Astakhov was quoted as saying.
The Children's Rights Commissioner expressed his hope that this round of talks will be final.
"It is important that this round is the final one," Astakhov said, adding that the Russian and U.S. presidents will meet before the end of June. "And such a meeting would mark a permanent settlement of the issue and approval by the heads of the states of the agreements reached on the U.S. adoption of Russian children."
Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama are likely to meet on the sidelines of the G8 and G20 in Canada at the end of June, although Astakhov said the agreement did not need to be signed by the presidents.
"However, it is important that before the presidents' meeting all questions are addressed and the agreement is fully edited and ready to be signed," he said.
Russia is one of the largest sources of foreign adoptions for U.S. families, accounting for about 10% of foreign adoptions, but the issue has become controversial in recent years following several incidents involving the mistreatment of Russian children in the United States.
In a recent incident, a 7-year-old boy was put on a plane alone to Moscow with a note from his U.S. adoptive mother, who claimed he was "psychopathic."
At least 15 children have died at the hands of their adoptive parents in the U.S. since the end of the Soviet Union, and the issue has seen repeated calls for a ban on foreign adoptions of Russian children. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said Russia could freeze child adoptions by U.S. citizens until the countries sign a formal agreement regulating them.
The controversy has also drawn attention to Russia's woeful record on child welfare. Astakhov said last month that some 2,000 children are killed by adults every year in Russia.
MOSCOW, June 3 (RIA Novosti)
