The Israeli diamond exchange held a special ceremony for members of CIBJO taking part in the annual congress in Tel Aviv. IDE President Yair Sahar presented awards of appreciation to outgoing World Diamond Council President Eli Izhakoff and CIBJO Chairman Gaetano Cavalieri.
Yair Sahar commented: "On behalf of the 3,500 members of the IDE, I thank all the CIBJO participants who came here today. I am sure you will love Israel and I wish you a pleasant stay." He praised Izhakoff and Cavalieri and wished them success in the future. He said they had were now part of the family and loved by all.
DDC NY President Reuven Kaufman commented: "We have with us two very important figures in the global diamond and jewelry industries. I see Eli Izhakoff's work in all the countries that he visits and I am amazed at his ability to implement his vision and capabilities." And he told Gaetano Cavalieri: "The joining of CIBJO to the UN that was undertaken under your leadership turned it into a leading international body."
Eli Izhakoff said: "Thank you for this warm welcome. Israel is my home. When I look back at my relations with the Israeli diamond industry, I see that each was a good friend. I had excellent relations with each of them. I believe these good relations contributed to the global diamond business because we are all one big happy family. The respect you are paying me here today is for all of us in the diamond trade. A leader's power comes from the people behind him. I am very proud of the cooperation between Yair Sahar and Reuven Kaufman, and I love you all."
CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri said: "You are all good friends of mine. Everything I achieved at CIBJO was due to you all. Thanks to you CIBJO is widely appreciated. The strength of organizations and leaders is to be found in the people who elected them. You can call us dreamers. We have a vision and that is your future."
IDE General Manager Moti Besser told the guests from CIBJO about the development of the diamond sector over the past few generations and presented statistics relating to polished exports and rough imports. The event finished with a tour of the Trading Hall.