AA/Yakut Dandashi
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry summoned German Ambassador Claudius Fischbach on Friday to protest statements by his country’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser regarding hosting the World Cup football 2022 by Doha.
German news agency DPA reported on Thursday Faeser’s statements in which she criticized “Qatar’s human rights record”.
“For us as the German government, Qatar’s right to host the tournament was very misleading,” the German minister said in an interview with local network ARD, broadcast on Thursday. And Faeser added: “There are criteria and standards that must be met and it would be better if the tournaments were not awarded to such states”.
In a statement, the Qatari Foreign Ministry expressed “the disappointment of the State of Qatar and its total rejection and condemnation of the statements made by Nancy Faeser regarding the right of the State of Qatar to host the FIFA World Cup. world 2022”. Doha also demanded clarification regarding these statements.
“Qatar’s organization of the World Cup does justice to a region that has suffered from a stereotypical image for decades,” added Qatari diplomacy.
She explains that “Qatar continues to be active in hosting one of the best competitions in the best conditions, with the aim of showing the civilization and heritage of the region to the whole world, and of consolidating the value of tolerance between all peoples”.
“The statements of the German minister, which come before her official visit to Doha next week, are contrary to diplomatic standards, particularly in view of the distinguished relations between Qatar and Germany in all areas”, underlines Doha.
The statement from the Qatari diplomacy, specifies that “the most important human rights organizations and UN agencies have welcomed Qatar’s major reforms on the work of immigrants”.
Majid Al-Ansari, spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, described the statements by the German Interior Minister as “provocative for the people of Qatar”.
According to the statement, Al-Ansari argued that “it is unacceptable for politicians to express positions intended to seduce national public opinion, to the detriment of their country’s relations with other states”.
“Since having the honor of hosting the World Cup, Qatar has been the target of an unprecedented campaign that no other host country has suffered. This campaign continued and expanded to include fabrications and double standards,” said the spokesperson for Qatari diplomacy.
The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim ben Hamad Al-Thani, denounced, Tuesday, October 25, before the Consultative Assembly (Majlis Al-Choura), the campaign of criticism against the organization of the World Cup in Qatar.
Qatar is hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup from November 20 to December 18, with 32 teams participating.
*Translated from Arabic by Majdi Ismail
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