Key talks with the United States on a Russian-proposed...

A high-ranking U.S. delegation will arrive in Russia on Thursday to discuss adoption issues and will hold a preliminary meeting on Friday ahead of the major talks.

"The Russian side has already prepared a draft inter-governmental agreement on adoption, which will be presented to our U.S. colleagues during a meeting on Friday," ombudsman Pavel Astakhov was quoted as saying in the statement.

The deal would oblige U.S. adoptive parents to respect the rights and interests of the child, and enable Russia to prosecute possible violators.

Russia is one of the largest sources of adoptions to the United States, but the issue has become controversial in Russia in recent years, following numerous incidents involving the mistreatment of Russian adopted children in the United States.

Russia urged the United States to sign a bilateral agreement on guaranteeing protection for adopted children after the latest adoption incident when a U.S. adoptive mother sent Artyom,

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