Kimberley Process Chair Ahmed Bin Sulayem has welcomed newly elected President of the World Diamond Council Andrey Polyakov and praised the strong leadership role of former WDC President Eli Izhakoff during his opening address at the 2016 Kimberley Process Intersessional Meeting.
“The succession of Andrey Polyakov as incoming president of the World Diamond Council will help get the KP back on track in this regard. It took Eli Izhakoff years to bring the industry together and shape the WDC under his strong leadership. I now eagerly look forward to working with Andrey in his new role as he restores unity and effective leadership into this organization. Like me, he believes in working with all the pillars of the KP, including civil society, in a fair and equitable manner,” says KP Chair Ahmed Bin Sulayem.
During his opening remarks, Bin Sulayem also highlighted the importance of his work with the Central African Republic, and the progress made following a visit to mineral-rich Venezuela to assist the country in being re-admitted to full Kimberley Process membership.
