BInterior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) will travel to Qatar for the German national team’s opening game at the World Cup. Faeser will travel to the emirate following her visit to Turkey on Wednesday, a ministry spokesman told the AFP news agency on Monday. Faeser has therefore emphasized that she also “would like to continue the dialogue with the Qatari government on reforms there, in particular to improve the human rights situation”.
Most recently, Faeser questioned visiting the game. “I’ll see if I can manage to travel next week,” she said just over a week ago in Berlin. Faeser had previously been asked about statements by Qatari World Cup ambassador Khalid Salman, who described homosexuality as “mental harm”.
Faeser first referred to the “security guarantee” that she said she had received from Qatar’s Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Chalid bin Chalifa Al-Thani during her visit three weeks ago. Accordingly, all fans should be able to “move freely and without fear” during the tournament. This safety guarantee is still the benchmark for them, Faeser emphasized ten days ago in Berlin. When asked again, she put her previous travel plans into perspective.
In the run-up to her visit to Qatar at the end of October, Faeser had provoked outraged reactions from the emirate and other Gulf monarchies with criticism of the World Cup organizers. The Federal Minister of the Interior, who is also responsible for sports, had said to the ARD magazine “Monitor” with regard to the World Cup host country and the human rights situation there: “For us as the federal government, this is a totally difficult award.” states,” she added. Qatar then ordered the German ambassador to come. In a joint statement, the Gulf monarchies dismissed Faeser’s comments as “interference in Qatar’s internal affairs”.
#Soccer #World #Cup #Faeser #travels #opening #game #national #team