The natural diamonds producers should be more aligned in order to improve the management and protection of these resources, said the Minister of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas.

Diamantino Azevedo was speaking yesterday in Luanda at the opening of the meeting of the Ad-hoc Committee for the Review and Reform of the Kimberley Process Certification System, where he stressed the need for better organization, from an environmental and management point of view, in order to reduce capital and operating costs and promote natural diamonds more and more.

Regarding the meeting of the Ad-hoc Committee, he said that it was taking place at a difficult time for the natural diamond industry and also in the face of some situations aimed at promoting synthetic diamonds.

Diamantino Azevedo says that there is a campaign to promote synthetic diamonds, aimed at discrediting natural diamonds, so all diamond producers need to be vigilant and take measures so that this does not have a negative impact on our diamond industry.

“It’s not enough for us to just lament the fact that synthetic diamonds are out there. We have to take measures at all levels, in terms of the environment, money laundering, illegal exploitation of natural diamonds and the way we carry out mining activities,” he said.