KYRGYZSTAN ADOPTIONS: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BISHKEK 000176 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR CA/OCS: MBOND CA/OCS/CI: WBISTRANSKY, GFULLER, MSAINTVICTOR CA/VO/F/P: MURBANCIC, MEARL SCA/CEN: GORKOWSKI ALMATY FOR CBEARD FRANKFURT FOR RCO KBROUGHAM E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: CASC CVIS KFRD KOCI PREL KG SUBJECT: KYRGYZSTAN ADOPTIONS: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH VICE PRIME MINSITER ABDULLAEVA YIELDS HOPEFUL RESULTS REF: A. BISHKEK 133 ¶B. 08 BISHKEK 1197 ¶C. 08 BISHKEK 1172 ¶D. FULLER/CHITTENDEN E-MAILS ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On February 27, 2009, Vice Prime Minister for Social Issues Uktomkhan Abdullaeva met with the Ambassador and the Consular Section Chief to discuss the current status of international adoptions in Kyrgyzstan. While the Kyrgyz adoption commission is still working on its reports to Parliament, Abdullaeva was hopeful that the situation could be resolved soon. The Ambassador repeatedly stressed that any new legislation or international agreements should not be retroactively applied to the 65 U.S. families currently stuck in adoption limbo. Abdullaeva agreed and promised to raise these pipeline cases with Prime Minister Chudinov when he returns to Kyrgyzstan the week of March 1st. As to Kyrgyzstan's announcement (see ref D) about the requirement for an "international agreement" on inter-country adoptions, the solution may be as simple as a memorandum specifying the various roles and responsibilities of the organizations involved in inter-country adoptions. End Summary. -------------- At Last We Meet! -------------- 2). (SBU) After concerted efforts by Embassy staff, newly appointed Vice Prime Minister Uktomkhan Abdullaeva agreed to meet with the Ambassador and the Consular Section Chief February 27 to discuss the current status quo of international adoptions. As stated in reftel C, adoptions in Kyrgyzstan had been operating for the past years with little control. Abdullaeva stated that the Ministry of Education lacked a complete listing or database of children currently in orphanages and children's homes. As a result, there are 24 children that the Ministry cannot locate. It is believed that these children were adopted abroad but no records can be located. Abdullaeva pointed out the previous lack of controls concerning adoption agency registration ) noting that the U.S. agency Christian World Adoptions was approved for business in Kyrgyzstan by an administrative advisor with no authority. As part of their reviews, Abdullaeva stated that "whole conspiracies" among adoption facilitators, government officials and judges were uncovered. She indicated that these problems must be resolved before future adoptions can go forward. -------------- But What About the 65 Families? -------------- 3). (SBU) The Ambassador immediately raised the issue of the 65 U.S. families who have waited months for the completion of their adoptions. The Ambassador adamantly stated that any new legislation or agreements cannot be retroactively applied to these families. Abullaeva agreed. When queried for clarification for Kyrgyzstan's new requirement for an "international agreement" on inter-country adoptions, Abdullaeva stated either an individual agreement between nations or the Hague Convention on Inter-Country Adoptions would satisfy that requirement ) "whichever comes sooner." While the ratification and implementation of the Hague Convention may take time, the Kyrgyz government wants some sort of official document outlining the roles and responsibilities of the U.S. governmental agencies, departments and private organizations as they pertain to the adoption process. The Ambassador and Consular Section Chief agreed to consult with the Department for further guidance. In the interim, Abdullaeva agreed to speak to Prime Minister Chudinov about these 65 families and request authority to deal with these directly herself. As the Vice Prime Minister on Social Issues, this is well within her sphere of responsibilities. -------------- Cholpon Who? The Mystery Woman Revealed -------------- 4). (SBU) Present at the meeting was Cholpon Kalmurzaeva, an advisor in Prime Minisiter Chudinov's office who is in charge BISHKEK 00000176 002 OF 002 of the Child Protection Unit. Over the last several months, various rumors have circulated from U.S. adoptive parents that their local agents had met with "Cholpon" in the Prime Minister's Office. "This Cholpon," adoption community members contended, "seems to be controlling things about adoptions." Previous post attempts to locate this mystery woman often yielded conflicting and misleading information. Kalmurzaeva appeared very amenable to learning more about the Hague Convention, to discussing potential interim solutions, and establishing a framework for future adoptions. Abdullaeva and Kalmurzaeva were shocked to learn the high price charged by the Kyrgyz Embassy in Washington for document authentication. (Note: Authentication of adoption dossier costs $2,000 and many parents have been forced to re-authenticate their dossiers due to delays. End Note.) In this context, the Ambassador stated forcefully that the 65 pipeline families have already paid enough and should not have to re-register or go through new bureaucratic hoops. Kalmurzaeva was surprised to learn that the Ministry of Education had not sent several adoption cases involving special needs children forward to court. According to Kalmurzaeva, her office had instructed the Ministry of Education several weeks ago to complete processing on such cases as soon as possible. -------------- Comment -------------- 5). (SBU) Post will immediately follow up with Abdullaeva,s office the week of March 1st to learn the results of her request. While Post is hopeful that there may finally be some movement for the 65 U.S. families stuck in the pipeline, Post urges the Office of Children Issues to be cautious when discussing such issues with adoptive parents. It would also appear that most of the Kyrgyz concerns over adoption processing can be answered through more outreach on the Hague Convention on Inter-Country Adoption and through Kyrgyzstan's participation in an upcoming International Visitors' Program on Adoptions. Post will continue to engage the Kyrgyz government at all levels for the swift resolution of these 65 adoption cases. GFOELLER