As more information is surfacing, it is more and more clear that the Russian government’s motivation is based on self interest, and not the genuine willingness to change its predatory behaviour. The neo-communists of current Russia have finally concluded that they will gain more than they will have to give up (anyone willing to bet, how “independent” Russian judges are going to implement the new law?).
Well, here is what the “Voice of Russia” had to say about the newest change of hearts by the Russians:
When Russia joins the convention, it will get an opportunity to defend children born to parents of mixed marriages, Russians married to foreigners, says a member of the Lower House committee handling the issues of family, women and children, Nina Ostanina. The deputy emphasizes that this concerns problematic situations like that of the actress Natalya Zakharova who has been denied access to her daughter Masha living in France for several years.
and further down the page the article continues:
At present, none of the verdicts issued by foreign courts concerning Russian children can be used in Russia. However, when Russia joins the convention it will get an opportunity to use them. It has been proved that it’s no easy task to implement the convention. The key task before Russia is to set up a central body to implement the convention in the country. It is entitled to assist in searching for children who have been abducted by parents and in the implementation of the decisions by foreign courts. It’s unclear which ministry will undertake these functions, Education, Justice or some other ministry. The final step will be educating Russian judges, who will be specialized in examining such cases, by experts in international law.
It is very clear, that even the Russians themselves don’t expect their own government to fulfil its obligations, when it comes to returning children abducted to its country. They only look at extracting their rights in front of foreign courts. ([link id=’703′ text=’we alread wrote’] about the diplomatic tensions between Russia and Finland caused by one child abduction).
One question therefor needs to be asked: does it make sense to bind yourself with a contractual agreements with a site, which intentions are clearly less than honorable?