Washington: Expressing deep concern over a bill banning Americans from adopting Russian children, the Obama administration on Thursday warned that the legislation would halt intra-country adoptions between the US and Russia.
Russia`s Upper House of Parliament on Wednesday unanimously passed the bill and President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said he does not yet see any reason why he should not sign the bill.
"We have repeatedly made clear, both in private and in public, our deep concerns about the bill passed by the Russian Parliament, that if signed by President Putin, would halt intra-country adoptions between the United States and Russia," State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said.
Noting that since 1992 American families have welcomed more than 60,000 Russian children into their homes, and it is misguided to link the fate of children to unrelated political considerations, Ventrell said that the welfare of children is simply too important to tie to the political aspects of US-Russia relationship.
"Additionally, we are deeply troubled by the provisions in the bill that would restrict the ability of Russian civil society organisations to work with American partners," he said.
"The decades of cooperation between Russian and American NGOs have been beneficial to both our countries and our citizens. We have also been clear that our interaction with Russian civil society has always been non-partisan and transparent," Ventrell said in a statement.
PTI
