Brussels — Botswana will join Antwerp as an origin certifier of rough diamonds for export to the Group of Seven (G7), which banned imports of Russian stones from the start of this year, a joint statement said on Wednesday.
The addition of the world’s second-biggest miner of the gemstones could salvage implementation of the ban. The initial system would have seen all diamonds go through Europe’s diamond hub in Antwerp for verification, backed by a new tracing system.
Angola, Botswana and Namibia, as well as diamond miner De Beers, had said the mechanism was unfair and would hurt their economies.
“Botswana and the G7 diamond technical team are now crafting a roadmap to address any identified gaps, aiming to have the export certification node fully operational in Botswana as soon as possible next year,” the statement said.
The G7 ban on direct Russian diamond imports took effect on January 1, and was followed by a ban on Russia-origin diamonds via third countries from early March.
The tracing system was meant to be in force by September 1, but the EU delayed the implementation to March 2025.
Reuters
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