At the request of the Namibian side, a familiarisation visit by the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy of the Republic of Namibia focused on Russian customs experience and best practice in valuing and controlling exports and imports of rough diamonds. Source: Central Excise Customs (CAT).
The Russian side presented procedures for assessing rough natural diamonds applied at the customs post site. Particular attention was given to state and customs control over exports of diamond raw materials in line with the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme.
CAT specialists, together with representatives of the State Fund of Precious Metals and Precious Stones of Russia (Gokhran), demonstrated methods for determining the quality characteristics of diamonds, showed the equipment used and explained its functions in detail.
Vitaly Krasilnikov, head of the specialised customs post, said the office shared its experience of customs control over exports and imports of precious stones and outlined qualification requirements for specialists involved in assessing diamond raw materials.
The Namibian delegation noted that for many years the ministry had relied on external diamond valuation experts, but the high cost of those services had prompted an initiative to develop in-house competence in the field.
Bernhard Kukuri, head of the Namibian delegation, said that in 2021 the government decided to establish its own diamond assessment body and that the delegation was interested in studying Russian practice to acquire the necessary skills.
