The existing bilateral adoption agreement between Russia and the United States will remain valid until January 2014, Russian President's press service reports.

      The agreement between two countries came into force on November 1, 2012. It regulates the bilateral collaboration in the scope of adoption and practically describes the whole adoption procedure.

      According to the document, "the agreement is valid over one year beginning from the date one party informs the other via diplomatic channels about its intention to withdraw from the present agreement.” That means that in 2013 Russian officials still will be allowed to watch lives of Russian children adopted by American families. However, it still unclear whether the adoptions of 46 Russian children by US families currently underway will be allowed to proceed, or whether any new adoptions not yet being processed will be allowed during 2013.

      The adoption ban, signed by Putin on December 28, 2012, is part of Russia’s response to the US Magnitsky Act, signed into law by US President Barack Obama earlier in December. The ban was repeatedly criticized by many Russian human rights activists and some of high-level Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.