CAR Counts On Russia's Help To Rejoin Kimberley Process - Charge D'Affaires

The Central African Republic (CAR) expects that Russia, as the chairing nation, will help it rejoin the Kimberley Process through fully legalizing the CAR diamond market, which is now partially under sanctions, the charge d'affaires of the CAR Embassy in Moscow told Sputnik on Tuesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th February, 2020) The Central African Republic (CAR) expects that Russia, as the chairing nation, will help it rejoin the Kimberley Process through fully legalizing the car diamond market, which is now partially under sanctions, the charge d'affaires of the CAR Embassy in Moscow told Sputnik on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Alexey Moiseev, the chairman of the Kimberly Process for 2020, said that Russia would develop a clear road map for legalizing the CAR diamond market.

"We count a lot on Russia for the definite lift of this embargo on our diamonds and our mineral resources for the return into the Kimberley Process," Jean-Jacques Mbokoto said.

Since the full ban on the CAR diamond trade imposed in 2013 was lifted, the country has been divided into so-called green areas from where export is allowed, and red areas controlled by anti-governmental armed groups where the ban is still active. Mbokoto argued that the sanctions should be fully lifted, taking into consideration the peace agreement reached between the government forces and the armed groups last year.

"Today with the Khartoum agreement [CAR peace agreement signed in the Sudanese capital in 2019], in which the whole world participated to bring peace to our country, the embargo on [selling] diamonds has to be lifted completely.

We don't have to continue imposing sanctions on the diamonds too, diamonds also make part of the state revenues," Mbokoto said.

The diplomat added that diamonds extracted in the CAR were rated among the best gems in the world and were highly valued in world markets.

"The CAR is among five countries in the world that have the best diamonds. These are pure diamonds, good for jewelry production. The diamonds of this quality are valued in the world. But since the beginning of hostilities, these diamonds have been sanctioned, they imposed sanctions on these diamonds because they belonged to the area where the armed groups used the diamonds to buy weapons and continue creating violence in the country," Mbokoto went on to say.

The Kimberley Process is an international regime that regulates rough diamond trade, with its Kimberley Process Certification Scheme uniting over 80 countries. It was established in 2003.