World Cup football | Qatar is a gas giant whose importance to Europe is only growing

Conservative a Muslim country and one of the richest countries in the world. A traditional Arab monarchy, where the power of families and clans is significant.

This is how Finland’s ambassador to Qatar sums it up Pekka Voutilainen.

Another distinctive feature of the country is that the majority of people living in the country are citizens of other countries, for example migrant workers who arrive from several Asian and African countries, such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Kenya and Ethiopia.

“The country has about three million inhabitants, of which about 350,000 are Qataris. There are almost ten times more non-Qatari people,” says Voutilainen.

of Qatar the background of riches is in natural resources. Above all, natural gas has guaranteed that the country has a product for which there are buyers.

There is also oil in Qatar, but its importance is less than natural gas.

“Qatar produces about 600,000 barrels of oil per day. A little of it is also exported, but it doesn’t matter much,” says Voutilainen.

Along with the United States and Australia, Qatar is the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, or LNG. The advantages of natural gas liquefaction are the reduction of the volume of the gas, which makes it easier to store and transport it.

Read more: The dispute between Europe and Asia about gas cargoes is intensifying, and the worst crisis is yet to come

Qatar’s position as an economic power is quite stable. Qatar has been hailed as a beneficiary of Russia’s situation. New trade partners are available for it, if other countries slow down their cooperation with Russia.

For example, Germany signed in May energy cooperation agreement with Qatar. It is about the import of lng, which is supposed to help Germany wean itself off Russian energy. According to the agreement, imports are supposed to start in 2024.

Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani told the birth of the agreement in Berlin, where he spoke to the press together with the German Chancellor By Olaf Scholz with. The emir said that Germany is building infrastructure in its ports that can receive liquid natural gas.

“This is an important step and Qatar plays an important role in our future strategy,” Scholz said according to Deutsche Welle.

At the same time that Qatar’s sports events receive harsh criticism, especially in Europe, political Europe has created more forms of cooperation. In September, the President of the European Council visited Qatar Charles Michelwhich opened the representation of the European Union.

of the Council of Europe according to Finnish websites In his speech, Michel emphasized that the visit is an indication that the EU wants to strengthen political relations with Qatar.

of Qatar for the state, a natural gas-driven economy means massive profits anyway.

According to the forecasts of the International Monetary Fund, the country’s budget surplus for this year is set at around 13 billion dollars, i.e. slightly less than 13 billion euros, and a surplus of 17 billion dollars is expected next year.

Money can be seen, among other things, in the readiness to implement construction projects. For example, of the eight stadiums used in the World Cup, only two were built before the World Cup was awarded.

Construction is concentrated in a compact area. Qatar is a little bigger than Finland. Among the Finnish provinces, for example, Pirkanmaa is already larger.

“The pace of construction here is quite ferocious. Qatar is by far the fastest growing country in the Persian Gulf,” says Voutilainen.

A prosperous country can offer high wages, but income differences also become large. The conditions of the construction workers have been the subject of harsh criticism during the Games, although, for example, the International Labor Organization ILO has assessed that conditions have improved as the Games approach.

Voutilainen reminds that there are many skilled people in Qatar.

“The average salary is 4,500 euros per month, and there is no income tax in the country, so the amount is a net salary.”

The minimum wage in Qatar is 1,000 riyals per month, on top of which 500 riyals must be paid for housing and 300 riyals for food. A total of 1,800 rials is just under 480 euros at the current exchange rate.

Legislatively Qatar is an old Muslim country. For example, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Travel Bulletin reminds that Sharia law is followed in some matters in the country. Convictions can be obtained for alcohol consumption and extramarital affairs, which also include homosexual relations. The punishments for drug use are warned to be severe.

Ambassador Pekka Voutilainen says that there are two monopoly stores in Qatar that sell alcohol, but tourists cannot buy from them. Alcohol is sold in hotel bars and restaurants, and during the games also in fan areas near the stadiums.

Read more: The World Cup starts in Qatar, the kind that should never be held

Terrestrial the biggest wielder of power is the emir and his office. The ministers are also power holders, and the government is appointed by the emir.

Last year, elections were held in Qatar, in which the country’s parliament was elected. In the elections, 30 representatives of the 45-member parliament were elected, and 15 are appointed by the emir. Parliament’s role is to be a consultative body. It has the right to introduce bills, change ministers and approve the budget, but the emir has the right to veto all decisions of the parliament.

“The emir definitely has the most power, but there are discussions about things. There are processes for how things are presented and prepared,” Voutilainen describes the system.

The Emir has assured the UN General Assembly that everyone is welcome in the country during the World Cup. On the other hand, a former soccer player working as an ambassador for the World Cup right under the Games Khalid Salman caused an uproar with an interview statement in which he said homosexuality was brain damage.

Read more: World Cup ambassador says homosexuality is “brain damage”

Chairman of the Anti-Terrorism Committee in the spring Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Ansari said that the safety of those carrying the rainbow flag cannot be guaranteed.

In his comment, Al Ansari referred to the fact that homosexuality is not accepted in Qatari society, even if the state waives punishment during the Games.

Voutilainen reminds that a large part of race tourists also arrive from old Muslim countries.

“During the Games, it’s not just about the values ​​of Qataris. For example, hundreds of thousands of competition guests are expected from Saudi Arabia and Iran.”

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