Kimberley Process (KP) chair Ahmed bin Sulayem (pictured) blasted the G7’s sanctions on Russian diamonds in his closing speech at the group’s plenary last week in Dubai—leading the European Union to issue a statement calling his remarks “regrettable.”
Bin Sulayem began by slamming the European Union’s original plan for an Antwerp-based “single node” to ensure diamonds don’t come from Russia, saying it was a “self-serving” approach that “disproportionately impacts African producing countries.”
And while the EU’s proposal has since been modified to allow for “nodes” in diamond-producing countries such as Botswana, “even this concession comes with the stipulation that these nodes remain under European oversight,” bin Sulayem said. “This is an affront to African sovereignty as it essentially requires European inspection and approval of these country’s own resources. This is an abusive overreach. This external control disregards the fundamental right of nations to validate and manage their own resources.”
In perhaps the most contentious section of his speech, bin Sulayem said, “Our mission is to ensure a diamond trade that respects Russian sovereignty.” (Critics pointed out he didn’t mention the sovereignty of Ukraine, also a KP member.)
The KP chair also quoted comments made in 2022 by Indian foreign minister S. Jaishankar: “Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe’s problems are the world’s problems, but the world’s problems are not Europe’s problems.”
In its statement, the EU said it “deplores the unfounded allegations made at the plenary by the Kimberley Process chair in the context of the ban on Russian diamonds. His unfounded personal remarks not only betray the neutral and facilitating role expected of the chair but also stand in contrast with the decades-long spirit of the Kimberley Process.”
The EU noted that “the Kimberley Process failed, for a third year in a row, to address the implications of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine on the global rough diamond sector. This has a detrimental impact on the credibility of the Process and on the reputation of natural diamonds, undermining consumers’ confidence in the sector.”
Bin Sulayem and the United Arab Emirates will continue as “custodial” KP chair in 2025.
(Photo courtesy of the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre)
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