Russian diamonds ban not on the table, Brussels says
The country is a vital partner for Belgium’s gem trade
The European Union has not yet discussed a possible ban on the Russian diamond sector, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced on Friday upon his arrival at the EU summit. De Croo stressed that Western sanctions “must have a much bigger impact on the Russian side than on ours.”
“I have not yet seen a proposal to ban diamonds on the negotiating table. I want to emphasize: Belgium will not block this decision, but you need to make sure that it will harm Russia and not the EU countries. There will be no point if the flow of diamonds just goes to Dubai, appropriate international solutions are needed,” he said.
Belgium is one of the key importers of Russian diamonds for its developed jewelry industry. Earlier, a number of European media outlets reported that the country blocked EU’s sanctions discussions on the import of Russian diamonds.
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