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President concerned over problems of support to orphans in Russia

Putin asked the Vice-premier what measures were taken to improve the life of orphans in Russia

NOVO-OGARYOVO, February 20 (Itar-Tass) - Problems of support to orphans in Russia are much more important than the problem of foreign adoptions, President Putin said at Wednesday's meeting with Vice-premier Olga Golodets who supervises the social sector in the Russian government.

Putin asked the Vice-premier what measures were taken to improve the life of orphans in Russia and facilitate conditions for their adoption into Russian families.

"Heated debates connected with foreign adoptions are going on now, but the problem of support and education of children left without parental support is much more important," Putin said. The problem of foreign adoptions pertains to several hundred people, whereas, regrettably, there are thousands of orphans and children devoid of parental support in Russia, Putin admitted.

The president reminded of a decree, which pertains to the problem of adoptions, which the president signed on December 28, 2012 and asked what measures were taken for the implementation of his decree.

"There are 128,000 children in Russia left without parental support who need families to adopt them; in 2012 a total of 69,000 children were adopted," the vice-premier said. A package of documents has been adopted to improve the situation in this field, Golodets told the president.

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