Fine Gael TD Alan Farrell, for Dublin North, has welcomed the historic Administrative Agreement on inter-country adoption with Vietnam which has been officially signed by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Frances Fitzgerald TD.
The agreement was also signed by the Vietnamese Minister for Justice, Ha Hung Cuong, on behalf of the Vietnamese Central Authority, and Dr Geoffrey Shannon Chair of the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI) at the AAI headquarters.
“Minister Fitzgerald has driven this process to a successful conclusion and is to be warmly congratulated. It was a priority for her on taking office and it is clear that the resumption of adoptions with Vietnam is a result of her political commitment and focus.
“There are so many families, in Fingal and across the country who have waited patiently for developments on this matter and will be hugely relieved. Minister Fitzgerald has engaged with the Vietnamese Government at both a political and diplomatic level over the past year in order to reach this successful conclusion, with meetings in Dublin, London and Vietnam.
“The Administrative Arrangement is the first international administrative agreement on inter-country adoption entered into by the AAI and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam since both countries ratified the Hague Convention on inter-country adoption. The signing will open the way for the resumption of adoptions between Ireland and Vietnam. Furthermore, 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.
“The aim of the Government 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 the Minster and Geoffrey Shannon, Chairman on the Adoption Authority, and the Adoption Authority of Ireland in bringing this process to a successful conclusion.”