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Minister Fitzgerald welcomes signing of Administrative Agreement on intercountry adoption with Vietnam.
Frances Fitzgerald, TD, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, today attended the official signing of the Administrative Agreement on intercountry adoption at the headquarters of the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI).
Dr. Nguyen Van Binh, signatory for and on behalf of the Vietnamese Central Authority, and Dr Geoffrey Shannon Chair of the AAI and signatory on its behalf, signed this historic agreement in the presence of Minister Ha Hung Cuong, Minister for Justice of Vietnam and Frances Fitzgerald, TD, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs
Minister Fitzgerald stated “I must thank Minister Cuong for his commitment to this process. Since I took office I have prioritised the resumption of adoptions with Vietnam. I have engaged with Vietnamese Government at both a political and diplomatic level over the past year in order to reach this successful conclusion today, with meetings in Dublin, London and Vietnam. I have been heartened not only at the level of commitment they have demonstrated to the process of developing the Administrative Agreement on intercountry adoption but also the degree of goodwill they have shown to myself and the Irish officials they have come into contact with”.
The Administrative Arrangement is the first international administrative agreement on intercountry adoption entered into by the AAI and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam since both countries ratified the Hague Convention on intercountry adoption. The signing will open the way for the resumption of adoptions between Ireland and Vietnam. The AAI will now be able to use their experience of developing this Administrative Agreement in the development of relationships with other countries who are signatories to the Hague Convention.
Minister Fitzgerald stated “my aim is to have safe and secure adoptions from Vietnam and this Administrative Agreement will provide for that. I am hopeful that the work that the AAI has put into this process will be beneficial for that organisation going forward. I want to commend the work of Geoffrey Shannon, Chairman of the Adoption Authority, the Adoption Authority of Ireland and the work of my own Department in bringing this process to a successful conclusion.”
Minister Fitzgerald also said “I also wish to thank the Irish families who have waited patiently for developments on this matter.”