Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Federal Republic of Germany H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Thani said that the organization of the FIFA World Cup 2022 has connotations that are not limited to Qatar alone, but also extend to include all citizens of the region.

Since winning the right to host the FIFA World Cup 2022, the State of Qatar announced to the whole world that it will organize an exceptional tournament, and that it accepted the challenge and won the honor to host this tournament through its bid which showed its intention to organize a unique and environmentally friendly World Cup, Qatar’s Ambassador said.

He underlined that Qatar will succeed through the spirit of challenge in presenting a global event that will leave a positive impact on the entire Middle East region, revive hopes in the hearts of young people and residents of this part of the world, enhance their belief in their ability to organize world tournaments at the highest level while adhering to their rich customs, traditions and values, demonstrate the ability of sport to extend bridges of communication between peoples of different cultures, intellectual and ethnic affiliations, and dispel the negative stereotype about the Middle East. 

 

In an interview with the German ‘Diplomacy and Business’ magazine, concerned with foreign policy and the economy, the Ambassador said that the State of Qatar has implemented wide-ranging reforms to strengthen labour laws and increase protection for foreign workers, which placed Qatar at a leading position in the region.

On the Shura Council elections to be held in October 2021, he said that these elections came as a continuation of the democracy promotion march and the traditions of Shura, which H H the Father Amir initiated with the issuance of the Qatari Constitution in 2004, and which its foundations was laid by Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to develop the legislative process with a wider political and popular participation of citizens.

He believed that the importance of this historic step lies in the fact that it gives women the right to vote and run for a seat in the Council, describing the announcement of these elections as a starting point for a new phase of the process of national advancement and institution building that will lay the cornerstone for an important stage in the history of the State of Qatar, by consolidating the popular and political participation in the decision-making process and in strengthening the participation of Qatari women who have proven their competence and ability in various positions they hold in the State’s ministries and institutions, as well as in the private economic sector.

He also hailed the level of Qatari-German relations, describing them as a document in various areas, especially in the economic field. Qatar has strategic and long-term investments in Germany, which are not limited to mere profits, as the country seeks through them to create real partnerships, he added.“In recent years, we have become more independent, and have invested in new markets through economic partnerships,” the Ambassador said, pointing out that with this experience, Qatar wants to continue strengthening its position through economic relations with Germany, with a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) at the current stage.

Qatar’s Ambassador affirmed the importance of promoting close relations between the two countries by strengthening cooperation in the cultural and educational field, since this is essential in promoting mutual understanding and achieving rapprochement between peoples and nations, which mainly contributes to solving problems and crises through dialogue before their outbreak.

Ambassador Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Thani emphasised that the State of Qatar has early realized the importance of cultural exchange, as it launched global initiatives through a variety of exhibitions, festivals and competitions based on its belief in the importance of building bridges of communication around the world, as demonstrated by the Year of Culture initiative that is organized every year in partnership between Qatar and one of the countries of the world, noting that Germany was a distinguished cultural partner for Qatar in 2017, as that year witnessed the organization of many events between the two countries, and culminated in the inauguration of the Arab Cultural House ‘Al-Diwan’ in Berlin, to be a center for deepening civilizational and cultural communication between the two countries.