Congressional letter to Gulnara Derbisheva, Damira Niazalieva and Ekaterina Khoroshman

Dear Mrs. Derbisheva, Ms. Niazalieva, and Ms. Khoroshman:

We were pleased to hear that your delegation traveled to Washington, DC on May 29, 2009 to discuss the welfare of children in both the Kyrgyz Republic and the United States. We appreciate your dedication to this important issue.

One area that has and will continue to be of great importance to us is the safety and well- being of Kyrgyz children. It was very encouraging to hear that the Kyrgyz Republic is improving its processing of adoptions to increase the protection of children and to prevent abuses within these procedures. We applaud your government’s work to bring the highest ethical standards to bear in international adoptions and offer our continued support of your efforts to place children in loving, protective families.

The well-being of Kyrgyz children is also of paramount concern to the 65 American families who are in the process of adopting a child from the Kyrgyz Republic. As you know, many of these adoptions have been significantly delayed and the children they have grown to love are unnecessarily confined to an orphanage. We very much appreciate your willingness to do whatever is necessary to see that these cases are given appropriate and timely consideration.

We welcome your leadership in working to promote the best interests and well-being of the children of the Kyrgyz Republic, and stand ready to partner with you in making this a reality.

Sincerely,

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