mmegi

Abusive nonsense: Alrosa chief’s explosive Kasane speech

Shiny stones: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February has set of demands for greater censure at the KP level
Shiny stones: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February has set of demands for greater censure at the KP level

At a meeting of global diamond body, the Kimberley Process, in Kasane last month, Russian representatives faced off against pressure for Moscow’s diamonds to be sanctioned for the Ukraine invasion.

With tensions rising in the tourist town, Alrosa head of International Relations, Petr Karakchiev, apparently delivered a hard-hitting speech riddled with words such as “idiots”, “nonsense” and sarcastic jabs at “profound experts” and “respectable moralists”.

Alrosa is the world’s largest producer of rough diamonds, followed by De Beers, which co-owns Debswana with the Government of Botswana. Botswana, as chair of the Kimberley Process (KP) for 2022, spent four hours on the first afternoon of the Kasane meeting seeking compromise between the organisation’s members on the question of Russia.

Editor's Comment
Khama, Masisi should rise above personal differences

Hurt as he may have been, former president Ian Khama, Sir Seretse’s senior son who was given an opportunity to speak on behalf of the Seretse family, couldn’t mince his words as he took advantage to shred his successor Mokgweetsi Masisi to pieces.He, however, did not clearly mention names but he referred to Masisi as the leader of a political party that was founded amongst others by his father.He would also address him as the former State...

Have a Story? Send Us a tip
arrow up