ALROSA COMPANY TO EXPORT $28-$30 ROUGH DIAMONDS TO ARMENIA NEXT YEAR
ARKA News Agency
Dec 21 2007
Armenia
YEREVAN, December 21. /ARKA/. The Russian ALROSA diamond exploration
and cutting company plans to export $28-$30mln rough diamonds to
Armenia.
ALROSA Vice-President Sergey Ulin reported that the company plans
to hold another meeting to discuss the results of the first six
months of its cooperation with Armenia and determine the parameters
of cooperation with possible corrections toward larger supplies not
only for the end of next year, but also for 2009, he said.
RA Minister of Trade and Economic Development Nerses Yeritsyan
expressed hope that the ALROSA Company will put its plans into practice
within the next few years.
"We have much to do to specify the policy and prospects for development
to amplify the opportunities for business expansion in Armenia by
such a large company as ALROSA, and not only in diamond processing,"
the Minister said.
The Chairman of the International Association of Armenian Jewellers,
owner of the DCA diamond-cutting enterprise, member of the RA
Parliament Gagik Abramyan said that experts of the ALROSA Company
are expected to pay a regular visit to Armenia next July to conduct
inspections at the country’s diamond-cutting enterprises.
"The issue of increasing the number of Armenian diamond-cutting
companies meeting the ALROSA-set terms will be considered," he said.
Abramyan pointed out that cooperation in two directions will be
carried out next year.
"At a meeting with President Robert Kocharyan we talked about the
purchase of rough diamonds as well as about the supply of diamonds
for further processing and re-export," he said.
This October, ALROSA experts conducted inspections and made assessments
of 23 Armenian diamond-cutting companies. Thereafter, they selected
four Armenian enterprises that will process rough diamonds worth
$1mln supplied by ALROSA – Daymotek Company, Arevakn, SCA and Ukos.
On August 6, 2007, in Yerevan, the RA Government and the ALROSA Company
signed an agreement on cooperation in jewellery and diamond-cutting
industries. The agreement envisages the supply of rough diamonds to
Armenia for processing and re-export. Under the agreement, Armenian
diamond-cutting enterprises are to process rough diamonds 0.30 to
1.5 carats, which process is economically unsound in Russia.
Russia is one of the largest suppliers of rough diamonds – 1/3% of
the world diamond output. Armenia, in turn, has many professional
diamond-cutters capable of processing up to 1mln carats yearly.
The ALROSA Company is of the world’s largest diamond-extracting
company, its share in the world output being 25%. In 2006, the ALROSA
Group sold products worth $2.86bln, with the sale of cut diamonds
totalling $141.1mln The ALROSA stockholders are Rosimuschestvo
(Russian Property) (37%), Ministry of State property Management of
Yakutia (32%), individuals and legal entities (23%). Eight Yakut
uluses hold 8% of the ALROSA shares.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
