Deputy Minister of Economy presents  Armenia`s stance at Kimberley  Process Plenary meeting

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.