New York: Angola and the United States have pledged to work together to enforce the core principles of the Kimberley Process (KP) to ensure that diamond revenues do not contribute to violence, but instead to peace and prosperity. Angola was the current KP chair.

“The United States reaffirmed its support for Angola’s chairmanship of the Kimberley Process,” reads a joint statement on the U.S.-Angola strategic partnership dialogue released by the U.S. Department of State.

“Angola and the United States reaffirmed their shared commitment to the elimination of conflict diamonds as a source of funding for war and instability around the world.”

This followed an official visit to the United States last December by Angolan foreign minister Georges Chikoti where he co-chaired a session of strategic partnership dialogue with the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

During the meeting the two delegations also recognized the significant achievements in the bilateral relationship since the initiation of the strategic partnership dialogue in 2010.