On 13 March 2014 the Antwerp Diamond Night was held by the Antwerp Diamond World Centre (AWDC) at the Belgian Embassy in Moscow, Russia, with the attendance of AWDC’s delegation, around 35 Antwerp diamond companies, ALROSA’s top management, the Russian State Precious Metals and Gem Repository (Gokhran), and some other stakeholders in Russian diamond industry.
The event aimed to provide opportunities for both parties to form strategic partnership between Antwerp and Russia; the former being one of the significant diamond trading hub and the latter one of the world’s largest diamond mining countries.
It was reported that Russian diamond mining company ALROSA had just signed a cooperation agreement with AWDC several months ago before the event, further formalizing their cooperation over the next three years. At the Antwerp Diamond Night, a MoU was also signed by AWDC’s president Stéphane Fischler and Gokhran’s head Andrei Yurin to further complement the trade relations. The MoU commits to market information, knowledge and technology exchange, and working more closely towards their common goal of strengthening the reputation of the natural diamonds market.
According to AWDC’s press release, the relationship between two parties has been thriving over the past few years. In terms of import, Russia remains one of the most important suppliers of rough diamonds for Antwerp; in 2013 Antwerp imported from Russia a 22.8 million carats, constituting 25 percent of all Antwerp rough imports and equalling a value of US$2.8 billion. On average, more than 50 percent of rough diamonds from ALROSA are traded in Antwerp, home to the largest concentration of ALROSA’s long-term agreement clients.
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