ArmInfo.Armenian Deputy Minister of Economy Edgar Zakaryan participated in the Kimberley Process Plenary Ministerial meeting in Dubai, UAE, from November 17 to 21.
In his speech, the Deputy Minister emphasized that Armenia, as a country involved in all processes, from diamond processing to retail trade, attaches great importance to the existence of a strong, reliable, and transparent certification system.
Zakaryan reaffirmed Armenia's principled position on expanding the definition of "conflict diamonds" (diamonds whose proceeds finance terrorist and insurgent organizations), emphasizing the importance of the consensus format that underpins the Kimberley Process decision-making process. He also added that Armenia remains a constructive, responsible, and engaged partner, willing to cooperate with all Kimberley Process participants to maintain its unity and effectiveness. The Kimberley Process, which came into effect on January 1, 2003, is a certification system for every rough diamond sourced from conflict zones. A Kimberley Process certificate includes a serial number and other security features to prevent counterfeiting. Thanks to the Kimberley Process 99% of industrial diamonds are now conflict-free.
According to the RA Customs Service, in the first half of 2025, Armenia significantly reduced its diamond exports and imports by half (compared to a 2.5-fold increase the previous year), amounting to 231,100 and 239,800 carats, respectively. The customs value of both exports and imports also decreased by 85%, to $59.8 million and $64.7 million, respectively. The largest share of diamond exports were sent to the UAE (59.4%) and Russia (36.4%), with smaller volumes shipped to Belgium, Israel, Thailand, Georgia, the USA, Canada, Germany, Belarus, and Norway.
Diamond imports were primarily from the UAE (52.1%), followed by India (36.1%), with smaller quantities coming from Belgium, Namibia, Angola, Botswana, Israel, Canada, South Africa, and Hong Kong.
