Doha: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has said that the security protocol that has been placed is very strict to ensure the safety and security of everyone who is in Doha during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The Foreign Minister said this recently during an interview with Singapore‘s CNA, he added that: “We are very excited to host the FIFA World Cup in Doha in a few months from now. We are looking forward to bringing the world together. Post-Covid I think this is the first big event that will bring happiness to people."
On managing the safety and security of fans during the World Cup he said, "From our perspective, we believe that any tournament has positive side and negative side, there will be some fans who misbehave, our strict security protocol, including cooperation with different countries, and the crowd management protocol, will all ensure safety and security of all visitors and will help with minimising negative impact associated with any fan experience. What we are focusing on is how to provide the best fan experience for all fans who are coming. Qatar is a peaceful country and I believe that even fans who are getting over excited will act peacefully as well when they see our environment."
About the FIFA World Cup’s contribution to economy, the Minister added that World Cup will be the launching pad for a whole era of growth and that growth will continue in the country even after World Cup. "There is an exaggeration that most of the work that is being done in Doha is related to the World Cup. World Cup has significant contribution to the infrastructure for the country which we would have developed either with the World Cup or without the World Cup. The stadiums are just representating a small portion of this project. There will be other projects even after World Cup such as expansion of gas production, economic diversification plan, the other major sport events that will take place like Asian Games 2030, there will more to come."
Regarding question on the United States and China disputes, the Minister said both countries have an important role to play in the global peace and stability.
“Our advice for all the other countries is to maintain a friendly relationship with everyone and to solve any disagreements peacefully and to avoid any escalation”.
The Minister added that Qatar's Liquid Natural Gas investment and responsible expansion will help stabilise the energy market in the near future and long term. We have been a very reliable partner to all our buyers as we supply (LNG) to Asia and to Europe as well and we didn’t give priority to one over the other, he affirmed.
