"Adopted children are registered by the Russian consulates in the country of residence. We are trying to list the adopted children and find out how they are," Lavrov said.
At the same time, he said many of the Russian children adopted abroad are granted local citizenship and the local authorities view them as citizens of the country of residence.
"Controlling [them] is difficult: consular officials are not allowed to attend court sessions and custody agencies. Many countries practice tough rules in regard to collecting information on individuals, including adopted children," Lavrov said.
Efforts to collect information do not always yield results, he said.
"We propose developing special bilateral agreements with the countries where Russian children are adopted. We have submitted our proposal," said the Russian foreign minister.
