McFaul’s remarks on adoptions distort situation – Dolgov

MOSCOW. Jan 22 (Interfax) – The Russian Foreign Ministry’s human rights commissioner, Konstantin Dolgov, has blamed U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul for crudely distorting facts by saying that by denouncing the Russian-American agreement on cooperation in child adoptions, Russia has lost the opportunity to monitor the lives of Russian children adopted in the United States.

“We have read with deep concern the U.S. ambassador’s commentaries. We think he crudely distorts the actual situation,” Dolgov told Interfax on Tuesday.

McFaul said earlier on Tuesday in response to a question from a Twitter user that Russia has lost the opportunity to monitor the fate of Russian children adopted by American citizens.

Under the previous agreement, said McFaul, Russia could monitor the adopted children’s lives. Now that it has given it up, it has lost such a chance, the U.S. ambassador said.

“Strangely enough, Mr. McFaul has forgotten about the 1964 Russian-American consular convention which envisions Russian consular services’ unrestricted access to Russian citizens in the United States, including adopted Russian children, of course,” Dolgov said.

“We will continue pressing the U.S authorities to observe adopted Russian children’s rights and interests, using all political-diplomatic means available and guided by this convention and international law,” he said.

“We hope the U.S. Department of State will properly abide by the U.S. international commitments,” the Russian diplomat said.