Alrosa and Antwerp Reaffirm Relationship

RAPAPORT… Russian miner Alrosa and the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) have renewed their cooperation agreement, aiming to strengthen ties between the world’s largest producer by volume and one of the biggest rough-trading centers.

The deal seeks to broaden the pair’s relationship and make it more efficient, the AWDC said Monday. The duo will commit to supporting the diamond industry in areas such as the open exchange of information, joint marketing initiatives, traceability, sustainability, and the battle against conflict diamonds.

Sergey Ivanov, CEO of Alrosa, and Ari Epstein, his opposite number at the Belgian trade organization, signed the agreement on Monday at an event in Antwerp.

“AWDC is committed to ensure Antwerp remains the world’s leading diamond trade center, and to defend the interests of the more than 1,600 companies it represents,” Epstein said.

Belgium is the largest market for Alrosa’s rough, accounting for just over a third of the Russian miner’s revenues in the first nine months of this year, according to its most recent earnings report. Of Alrosa’s nearly 60 long-term clients, 21 are based in the European country, Ivanov pointed out.


Image: Ari Epstein and Sergey Ivanov signing the agreement. (AWDC)