Few details have surfaced about the adoption, especially since Armenian officials seem to be keeping a tight lip on the matter. RIA Novosti reported on May 26 that Lena Airapetyan, who runs the department for children in the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, said Jolie and Pitt should go through the standard procedure of adoptions.
“They must provide full information on biographies, annual profit, a guarantee that they can take care of a child, and proof of a lack of previous convictions. If everything passes smoothly, a child could be adopted within a month,” Airapetyan said. “They give me great hope as I have heard that they take good care of adopted children,” she added.
Other news sources, citing friends of the couple, reported that Brad and Angelina have already visited Armenia.
Talking about the reasons behind Angelina’s choice, Examiner.com writes, “One of the reasons Angelina wants to adopt from Armenia is because there is a lot less ‘red’ tape and the adoption process can be a lot easier. She also believes an Armenian child will fit in perfectly with her African, Cambodian, and Vietnamese babies.”
Bogus article.
If this is true, then she seriously has a adoption addiction. Why keep having kids and adopting when your paying nannies to care for them?
I thought at least one of the adoptive parents had to be Armenian to adopt an Armenian child.
Yes, that’s true. That law was created by my adopted mother in 2001.
When my husband and I looked into adopting an Armenian baby, we were told one of the parents had to be of Armenian descent. There was a great deal of red tape involved. Though we did not have the money to adopt. I am alarmed that Jolie will be allowed to adopt. I guess money talks!!!!!
Zvart
Armenian babies should only be allowed to be adopted by at least having one of parents being of Armenian descent!!!!!!
Shushan, you’d rather have children living in an orphanage than have parents that love them?
The government changed the rule but put in a provision about adoptive parents helping to educate the child about his or her heritage.
And, more importantly, tThere are many more children in orphanages in Armenia than could ever be adopted by ethnic Armenians. And adoption is prohibitively expensive for most families (about US$30,000 when all is said and done).
I was pleased to know that Angelina wants to adopt an armenian baby. It is not only to make somebody’s life happy, but also that she is a very known person and very good advertised. May be more people will know about Armenia by asking why armenian baby and who are armenians, and whwre is Armenia. I think.
Anahit jannnn I completely agree with you!!! Hopefully our country will be heard more often and will not be mistaken with Albania or Romania!! But im slightly confused to how the adoption agency or the goverment will allow this process to go ahead considering their is no Armenian background in any of the parents. It will be interesting if they allow this!!
But like they say money can buy you anything. So i guess good luck to them.
While money can buy most things… It sure cannot by helth and happiness.
Childern need home, and they need someone to care about them.
If Brad and Angelina want to adopt a child from Armenia… I think it’s a great thing for our country, and for that poor child (who was unwanted by his/her parents for some reason).
By Nazareth:
Adopting a child is not only parenting him.
It will have to be given an Armenian soul to child too.
They must think of getting an Armenian nanny too.
Why doesn’t she give money to raise one while in foster house?
Together with all other Armenian babies child will be happier to grow.
Adapting child is giving a baby even more pain reminding of his real parents.
Why Angelina and brad are trying to emphasize their superiority?
Don’t remove the child from his happy place of childhood,
Do not isolate him from his friends!
It’s a shame that Armenians can not support their foster home needs and babies who lives in them. Let them adapt a child from Georgia or Azerbaijan.
Unwanted by his/her parents for some reason? What planet are you from? I would bet everything I own that the parent/parents of that child would rather have poked out their own eyes than to place their beloved child, their own flesh and blood, in an orphanage. Where ever you are, you must be living a comfortable life. Evidently you cannot even imagine the despair some of our brothers and sisters in Armenia face on a daily basis. As my grandmother used to say, dzainuh dak deghitz g’ gah.
I think Angelina has an undiscovered psychological disorder–she is either pregnant all the time or is adopting. I have 2 kids and can hardly could keep up with them. I wouldn’t want to see an Armenian child suffering in a supposedly “happy” family like theirs, where both parents travel much, don’t have a stable home or can’t be in the same country, school for the kids for a long period of time.
I personally feel bad for all of Angelina’s children. I would rather see an armenian orphan in a deserving family abroad.
Then there’s always the kiss she planted smack dab on her brother’s mouth. Can’t forget that. That’s a wonderful tradition that could be introduced into the Armenian culture. This is tongue in cheek of course, mine, that is. Well, actually, I guess it was theirs too.
Wow, Arpi, why the hostility? You don’t care to mention all the humanitarian work she’s done, all the attention she’s brought to third-world countries, but you mention an overblown kiss?
As, what, a reason a child in Armenia–who statistically, will end up poor and hungry and alone, and quite possibly turn to prostitution, once she’s released from the system at 18–shouldn’t have a good life? A chance at something better?
No hostility whatsoever. Just an observation. Wow, Nairi, why so jumpy?
Meline, the children in the Armenian orphanages are not “abandoned” by their parents b/c they didn’t want them. These are families that don’t have the financial means to support their children, so they take them to an orphanage. Majority of the time these parents visit their kids almost every day to at least share a meal with them. And while an orphanage can never replace a home, most of the orphanages in Armenia are well kept.
Allowing non-Armenians to adopt Armenian kids will lead to more and more Armenians losing their heritage and culture, reducing our small population even more. Angelina may have a lot of money, but she lacks something that her money can never buy, an Armenian heritage. And what do you think the odds are that Jolie’s current adopted kids will be aware of their own heritage when they get older? I highly doubt it.
And Nairi, while there are Armenians in Armenia that have found themselves in compromising situations due to economic turmoil in the country, not every child or orphan is destined for a life of prostitution and crime. Historically an important characteristic of Armenians has been the ability to rise above their circumstances and succeed in life, despite the many obstacles they have come across. Let’s give this credit to our younger generations as well. If we sell our future generations to foreigners for monetary gain, then we are committing another form of our own cultural genocide.
If I’m responsible about adoption, I would like to recommend that the child should visit and stay in Armenia one month every year, not to forget thee culture.
I don’t know about you but I found that last comment that an “Armenian child will fit in perfectly with her African, Cambodian, and Vietnamese babies” very amusing! :S
“Because the red tape in Armenia is less” what she means to say is because her money can buy her way around adoption in poor countries.
Lets Exam the legalities of jolies adoptions:
1) a boy from Cambodia, was adopted from the Galindo sisters that owned Seattle Adoption Agency. 5 months after Jolie gets the boy from the Galindos and he is in the USA as her possession, Cambodian adoptions close down due to fraud. Wait this gets better……….Lauren Galindo is thrown in jail for VISA FRAUD and Seattle Adoption Agency is closed down. Cambodian adoptions remained closed to this day.
3) A beautiful girl from Ethiopia- Jolie’s marketing people announce to the world that the child is an orphan, the child of a woman who died of AIDS. 7 months later the Ethiopian birth mother is found by the international media. She asks “why is Jolie telling people I am dead?” The Ethiopian woman is a poor onion farmer, who sells them at a local farmer’s market. She was ganged raped by a neighboring military miltia gang. Her mother encouraged her to adopt the child out because they are SO POOR. The adoption agency in the USA has a press conference and declares that the in country facilitator must have lied to us on the child’s abandonment and we will no longer use him.
cHILD 3) Adopted from Vietnam, 4 months later in November 2007 , 14 American Couples in Vietnam are stopped by the American Embassy and denied Exit Visas for their adopted children. The reason? Questions about the “abandonment” conflicting information and no PROPER relinquishment papers. Today………….Vietnam is STILL CLOSED TO INTERNATIONAL ADOPTIONS TO THE USA.
Ask yourself why Jolie wants to adopt from Armenia? Is this truly good for the image of Armenia?
CAN YOU SAY HUMAN TRAFFICKING? iT IS A CRIME, but when you are rich and famous it is called adoption.
All of you! Listen up. 97% of the orphaned children in Armenia are classified as “Social Orphans” meaning their parents love them, but cannot afford to feed them. They are in orphanages so they can simply get a day’s meal. It is sad very sad.
Human trafficking has happened in Armenia, many kids become panhandlers, the girls go to Dubai, Turkey as prostitutes.
There are organizations that help.
http://www.soar-us.org
We need to educate our children and they will prosper, for a stronger Armenia.
Katy, you don’t know what you are talking about.
For healthy children and babies from Armenia one parent must have Armenian Heritage, they take first priortiy. The Special Needs Children: Down Syndrom, Limbs missing are adopted by non-Armenian usually very religious kid collector families. If you are an American here is the link to the State Department’s regulations on Armenian Adoptions. This page also includes Armenian law which you must ALSO follow. Note the fees in Armenia are less than $100.00 usd. The $30,000 you quote is what the facilitator or American Adoption agency tacks on. As the page states,: “Armenia does not recognize Adoption Agencies, you may give power of Attorney to someone , friend, lawyer, relative, that can walk your paperwork through the proper channels in Armenia. You can by all means use an Agency, but it is not necessary. The Agency only does what you do —they have an incountry represenative that locates the adoptable children and walks the translated dossier to the Armenian Adoption Committee who FIRST must approve the couple for adoption. Christians are also a must!
http://adoption.state.gov/country/armenia.html
This may piss some people off but before we are Armenians we are humans, so I agree with Katy and Anahit and that an Armenian orphan is much better off being adopted by a family that loves him or her rather than staying in an orphanage. Having a mom and dad how loves and takes care of a child is more important than anything else in the world and I applaud Angelina and Brad for doing what they are doing.
Let her adopt an Armenian kid, what is the big deal. They are being nice to Armenians and some lucky kid over there is going to start a new life, Armenia is a 3rd world country, kid will be very lucky one. I also think that Armneians who are already immigrated or born in USA should not be angry with her decision, what is the big deal. They say the baby should be raised in Armenia, so why did YOU guys move to USA? She wants one and you will see she will adopt one. I support her in her decision. Way to go Angelina, Armenians are pain in the butt for the world for centuries, and now they are offended because of Angelina thinks that Armanie is 3rd world country since they adopted some other children from the 3rd world countries? Let her do whatever she wants with her life, and Armenians who thinks it’s bad decision, more than welcome to go back to Armenia and continue to raise their families in their home country.
Vanessa Kachadurian, if you are so willing to help Armenia why dont you go back to Armenia where you came from? I tihnk you are just talking and talking… If you are so considerate, go help them… Talking from thousands of miles away from Armenia is not gonna help you nor them… I think you should go back and help them for better Armenia…I do not understand Armenians and their empty dreams , you got that?
To The Kid,
Adaption of a child in your view is helping the Armenia, or disallowing it means “go back and help people there”. You are so far from reality.
Poor mentality, mindlessness is pouring from your philosophy.
(I hope you know what it means- look it up)
First off, it is NOT necessary to have Armenian heritage, and Vanessa Kachadurian YOU HAVE no idea what you are talking about. WHY ARE YOU not volunteering your time in Armenia making things better? You obviously have so much free time. Since you obviously claim to have heritage, why are you not helping families in Armenia keep thier children (fundraise and give the money to families in Amenia) and why have you not adopted, oh wait, many poeple know why that can never happen…..
Haikush;
Please check out the Society for Orphaned Armenian Relief (SOAR)
http://www.soar-us.org
I have given PLENTY of time and money for the future of Armenia…it’s children!
Lastly, check out the US State Deparment’s Requirements on Adoption from Armenia, it clearly states that Armenian Heritage is STRONGLY preferred.
It is an unwritten law with the Armenian Adoption Committee but healthy babies will never go to non-Armenians unless they are willing to pay $50,000+ last year only 29 Armenian children/babies were granted orphan Visas to the USA. There are MUCH more that are adopted by the preferred French Armenians.
I run an Adoption Agency in the USA with another odar by the name of Robin Sizemore. We have sold/ er adopted many babies out of Armenia. But we mostly adopt out sickly children from Armenia for a mere $26,000.
Our families were told by “God” to adopt.
They love adopting Armenian kids so they can change their Armenian names to Camyrn or some other Odar name.
Sorry about the earlier posting, I am not sure who this person was and didn’t mean to be rude.
I know that many Armenian Americans have helped in Armenia.
And yes, it is preferred that you have Armenian Heritage. I was wrong. Here is a link about fraud in Armenian Adoption from Brandeis University.
http://www.brandeis.edu/investigate/gender/adoption/armenia.html
Sometimes I am embarassed to be an Armenian. How can any of you think it is acceptable for a woman who has been married twice, now living with her lover (Pitt) who she stole from his wife, the father of her last 3 bio kids.
We all have things in our past we are not proud of, seriously Jolie has admitted to having drug issues, serious mental problems where she was actually in lock down and has severed her ties with her bio father Jon Voight.
Voight has publically stated he fears for those kids because my daughter has emotional issues unfit for raising children.
In the early 1990s, Jolie admitted to being a bisexual and lived with another actress for quite some time)
She gets approval or clearance for adoptions because she has $$$ money and influence. I didn’t think Armenian kids could be bought, after years of hearing these rumors I now believe it is all true.
How do you think Madonna paid her way to her two adoptions in poor Malawi? The little girl that she paid millions to the village for was actually hand delivered to Madonna on a private jet in England.
Madonna and other rich / famous people don’t have to go through the same scrunity that average people have to go through.
I think the post above is accurate Jolie, has some kind of undiagnosed illness that compells her to adopt so many kids. She is like the Octomom
Vanessa – DO NOT POST UNDER MY NAME – I think it would be better for you to come clean on your history with attenpted adoptions form Armenia.
I am sorry, someone is posting under my name, but I am not sure about any private adoptions in Armenia and am not privvy to anyone’s personal information regarding their independent Armenian Adoptions. My name is Sona and I like to believe that it is OK to purchase healthy babies for $40,000.00. My husband and I did!
I do agree with Vart, that it is embarassing to think that just anyone could purchase our children. Someone like Jolie, has had many issues. If you have money, anything is possible in Armenia. Even a shady past.
I am not sure who Vanessa is or what the REAL issues are. I only listen to gossip from a bunch of odars. SAHM here and I am half Armenian, My husband is a doctor so I am rich and can do as I please. I don’t know how to read, write or speak Arenian. We live in Potomac, Maryland.
Lots of Adoption Agencies closing down. I might have been snow jobbed by my adoption agency but I don’t care, I have my baby.
I didn’t want an older child, just a healthy baby. Even though they have a harder time finding a home. Who cares about the true orphans, I wanted a baby and waited for a poor pregnant woman to relinquish hers. Not sure where all my money went in Armenia?
Why is it that Armenia has one of the worst human trafficking issues for the size of country?
Here is one of the reports out of Armenia. American government agencies have much more reports.
http://www.aiprg.net/UserFiles/File/wp/jan2005/WP0505.pdf
Maybe this is why agencies have not been able to adopt many children out of Armenia. So they flock to the poor African nations where healthy babies are in supply.
There were 29 Orphan Visas issued in 2008 to Americans for Armenian adoptions.
The majority 17 were private independent adoptions. 10 more Armenian children went to local Armenian families in Armenia. 12 were adopted by French Armenians who are preferred over the Armenian Americans who are disconnected from their culture with barely a drop of Armenian blood in them.
the only thing left to adopt are the poor unhealthy souls in armenia, the Down Syndrome and other special needs that Armenia will easily adopt out to anyone who will take them. The price is still high $26,000K. But this is a deal because Armenia has drasctically lowered their fees (as one agency falsely reports) and there is no inome requirement anymore of $100K (there never was an income requirement only an Adoption agency requirement)
What is the truth? you decide? factually information or the babbling of a bored SAHM with nothing better to do than profess her loyalty to someone who has been kicked out of Georgian adoptions, fired from her last employer and got her last facilitator Mariza in Georgia arrested.
So glad that someone has decided to come clean.
Come on most of you seem like realatively intelligent people. Do you really believe Jolie is going to adopt in Armenia? If she could qualify anyone can. If anyone is stupid enough to believe this or the other stories that people post online about themselves or their families on blogs you live in la la land.
Anyone dumb enough to post pictures of their family, home and other personal information is either naive or asking for trouble.
You cannot possible believe anyone in their right mind would do this?
Me and me wife live in Erevan, we try to adopt heer. Our countre is very dirty, make it hard for us to adopt.
when we hear ofs amergatzis adptig our kids we knows they pay big moneys to government. we have 2 girls wnat to give home to boyz, we nees our boys for military. we told that non aremnisns adopt too. but thay must have som moneys for thes. local price is 600 dram, our salary es 90 dram a month.
tanks god for armenians who adopt chilren.
Interesting blog. The odd thing it is seems at least five of the posters under various names are the same person. She is mocking others while using their name. For those who don’t know the following are all the same: Vanessa, Ara, Jeannie, Haikush aka Sona are all the same person. She also sometimes goes by Lauren & several other names.
She is a very sad woman from California with Armenian heritage & delusions of Armenian superiority who grossly failed at an adoption. Now she has made her mission to be the destruction of any adoptions from Armenia including attempting to destroy the credibility of anyone in Armenia ora broad facilitators & agencies who assist folks who adopt from Armenia.
Please say a prayer for her to find some peace.
An odar who adopted a darling boy 2002 (heritage is not necessary)
Thank you truth seeker for setting the record straight.
Truth Seeker is right to say that the posting in my name was not written by me, but will say that I have to agree with many of the things this person who is posting. I can say that I don’t believe that non-Armenians should be allowed to adopt from Armenia at all. I say this as there really is not a shortage of ethnic Armenians wanting to adopt, though they in most cases are not willing to pay bribes. There is also a large number of natives who are interested in adopting and have the first right to do so following someone who has blood relations with the child, but can not do so in many cases since the red-tape they encounter prevents such adoptions. All I can say is that by Armenian law that was enacted following my investigation in 2002, one of the parents must be of Armenian decent. As for the special needs children, this too is also a scam as there are many “special needs” children that are not special needs at all and are only deemed as such for non-Armenians to adopt. Also there was mention of any children that are in children homes by parents who love them and can’t afford to feed them, but these children are not orphans. In Armenian in fact there are very few real orphans. Bottom line is that if Jolie and Pitt do adopt from Armenia, then you can be sure that some money under the table exchanged hands.
Truth Seeker;
No one wants to call you a liar but let me explain some facts to you. First of all if you did adopt in 2002 many laws and rules have changed in the past 7 years. Carolina Adoption Services will not even accept an Armenian Adoption application from a prospective parent that is not with Armenian heritage. This Adoption agency is very honest about not giving any false hopes to someone without the heritage.
Carolina Adoption Agency has had 1 non-Armenian adopt and this gentleman was a big humanitarian in Armenia and did more for the country than most. He was well respected and loved by Armenia up to the President of Armenia. He met the child in Armenia and had the blessings of the Armenian government. This was an exception, not the rule.
There have been 2 physicians that were arrested in Armenia in the last 12 years for finding pregnant woman who were willing to relinquish their babies for a small fee. The child(ren) was then placed in the orphanage system for the minimum 3 month requirement and their photo and referral sent to the waiting prospective parent(s). They then quickly reserve the baby by writing their letter of intent to adopt to the Ministry of Armenia.
Most of the parents who adopt from Armenia have never stepped foot in Armenia prior to adopting some claim to have some Armenian heritage and their home study is wrtten as such to emphasize this claim, they become a “Born again Armenian” after the child arrives in their home they rarely if ever go back to Armenia or stay connected to the heritage at all as promised to the courts in Armenia.
I can assure you Truth Seeker that under todays laws and circumstances you would not be able to adopt a healthy child from Armenia. Unless you have a $100K to spend. Most Armenians would be pleased to learn that you read the Armenian Reporter, this is a good sign that you are interested in our culture. Hopefully you read it on a regular basis and learn of what is happening in our culture and our laws.
Last year barely 29 children were adopted to the USA from Armenia. 32 Armenian children went to Italy because of Armenia’s preference for a European education and lifestyle for the children.
There are such few children available except for a few Special Needs and a few “manufactured babies”
Armenian citizens have first choice and their fee is less than $300.00, however in a country with 48% poverty not many Armenians can step forward with this kind of money. Likewise, in America’s challenging economy and because of stricter laws International Adoption is down 30% in North America.
Brandeis University, has a page devoted to Armenian Adoption regularities in their investigative journalism deparment. Most of these publications are from Armenia.
http://www.brandeis.edu/investigate/gender/adoption/armenia.html
If you were to read this message that I can’t believe in Armenia we have orphans……….very sad. I think they should support the parents to hold on to their kids instead of making money on these children. ALSO the girls can be raped, sold for prostitution and other murder cases. Lets stop this from happening to our pure Christian people. God Bless.
I disagree with my husband, Nazareth Stamboulian.
I would like to thank Angelina for adapting an Armenian child. Knowing her heart I’m sure the child will grow-up in a warm and healthy atmosphere. When the time comes, the child will tell the world the difference between a shelter or responsible adapting parents. Choosing an Armenian child will teach how to love and respect human life.
Hye Marry, of course to be adopted to good parents is fine… but yet, after the Genocide so many Armenian children had lost their parents and were raised in the Danish
Karen Yeppe and other such orphanages. These were our Survivors who carried the pain of the memories of the Turkish Genocide of the Armenian nation… Who grew up to become the parents of our first generation since the Genocide. We know these
Survivors, our parents, grandparents and great grand parents, wherever in the diasporan lands they fled to, raised their own children to the best of their abilities. In other words, the children of the orphanages were to be
the first generation of Armenian parents in foreign lands. Looking back so many of them were, and are, to be recognized for their dedication of our Haiastan, their dedication for the recognition of the Turkish Genocide of the Armenian nation to be
recognized – and the guilty Turk be brought to face justice.
It is with these orphans that we have our Covenant, who received it from the Martyred, and now our Covenat to pursue – never to forget… Manooshag
I have a friend in Armenia and I would like to adopt his child. He is having a very difficult time caring for him and if my wife and I can adopt him indipendently without an adoption agency it would be perfect. We can give him a wonderful life here in the US. Eventually my friend and his wife will come to the US one day when their visa clears so they can be in the child’s life. He trusts me like a brother. If ANYONE knows how the process works or where I can look to begin his process PLEASE contact me. We are in desparate need of information. My email is alexh_818 AT Yahoo. COM
Better to have an Armenian child adopted by Angelina then having that child trafficked to sex slave ring in Turkey, Saudia Arabia or Kuwait.
Why aren’t the Armenian Oligarchs taking care of these kids. What are they going to do with their billions when they leave this earth? Take it with them?
Ohhhhh, how exciting, that’s wonderful, i think it’s beautiful that she’s a goodwill ambassador to the world, that’s the way it should be, and an Indian baby would be fine, too, it’s the thought that counts.
Bless her heart!!!
To: Kiazer Souze
What are you talking about, are you talking about Indonesia, Turkey, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and other middle east countries who use Harems and Sex Trafficking of their own people.
What are they going to do with their billions when they leave this earth? Take it with them? Hmmmm
Some Armenian have both parents Armenians and real Armenian Blood and they forget their origin.
I can give you many examples:I communicated with a person his surname MISAKIAN, definitely an Armenian, a professor in physics, his answer was, “i don’t know my origin”. (Because my mother’s cousin was married to a family had the same name).
Let Angela adopt and give education to an Armenian child,he/she will not forget his/her origin.
Why the Armenians are so narrow minded…!
Count how many Armenians they don’t communicate with their ethnicity…!
What is the upper age limit for adoptions from Armenia?