Qatar World Cup - A spot for intercultural and ideological exchange

The person who was the most instrumental in bringing the World Cup to Qatar was the world's youngest king, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Amir (Photo. WAJ)

On the occasion of Qatar's National Day and hosting the 2022 World Cup, WAJ would like to make public a conversation with His Excellency Sultan Salmeen Almansouri, Qatari Ambassador to Austria, and international guests. 

*Ambassador Sultan Salmeen Almansouri: World Cup Qatar is a place to exchange cultures and ideas

WAJ: What will Qatar benefit from hosting the World Cup?

Ambassador Sultan Salmeen Almansouri: Thank you so much for interviewing me. First of all, the World Cup is very important to us since we started it and were awarded it in 2011. The beneficiary as a small country was a big challenge for the World Cup, especially for the infrastructure. But to involve a Middle Eastern country in the World Cup for the first time, and to host the World Cup for the first time in our country. So it is very important to us to have it in our region, especially in Asia and the Middle East. So the benefits are alot. They are economics, the exchange of culture, and the exchange of ideas. So I think a lot of benefits will come out of that.

Ambassador Sultan Salmeen Almansouri (Photo: Qatari Embassy in Vienna, Austria)

WAJ: What does the World Cup mean for Qatar?

Ambassador Sultan Salmeen Almansouri:

It means everything because it is the dream of every country to host the World Cup. And it is very important to have such an event like this. And I think we are so proud that it's a small country to host this bigger event. And I cannot say: What does it mean to us? because it's really a very big thing. And we were so happy since we awarded the World Cup and we managed to do it nicely and correctly. Yes, there were a lot of challenges. But we have overcome these challenges.

Ambassador Sultan Salmeen Almansouri (left) and United Nations Director-General in Vienna Ghada Wali (photo: Qatari Embassy in Vienna, Austria)

WAJ: What are the economic goals that extend beyond the World Cup, in your opinion?

AMBASSADOR SULTAN SALMEEN ALMANSOURI: The economic is also very important, especially with the biggest event, the World Cup, and the important thing is that the World Cup will benefit the economy as well, and we also completed all of the infrastructure for the World Cup well ahead of schedule, with a very high benchmark, especially for the environment. 

WAJ: Qatar World Cup 2022, the most expensive World Cup finals in history, in your view, is the matter we have done worth it?

AMBASSADOR SULTAN SALMEEN ALMANSOURI: I mean looking back to the previous World Cup. Yes. When we look at the Doha or Qatar World Cup, it’s very high. But it was not only being invested on this World Cup, but because obviously we had a vision of 2030 and the 2030 when we've been awarded the World Cup, since we have in fact displaced the 2030 to 2022. So we have to manage to get all the infrastructure, not only stadiums, but also railways, airports, roads, a lot of construction, and hotels. So that's the reason the cost is high. However, this cost will remain as the infrastructure required to set up Qatar.

Qatar strives to promote intercultural exchange in Europe (Photo. Qatari Embassy in Vienna, Austria)

WAJ: Thank You! Congratulations Qatar! I wish Qatar's efforts to promote intercultural and ideological exchange in Europe and the world will be successful. Next, we would also like to hear some of the opinions of our international friends with Qatar.

Dr.Yen Platz had an interview with Qatari Ambassador Sultan Salmeen Almansouri (Photo. WAJ)

*International friends: World Cup Qatar will bring us together

- Entrepreneur Alexander Skoff Salomon, Joh. Springer’s Erben Handels GmbH (Austria): I’m working in Vienna. We have longstanding business relations with many customers and friends from Qatar. We work closely with the embassy in terms of providing the best services to guests, but also to Qatari residents living in Austria. Qataris are very generous, friendly, open-minded, and educated. Business partners have become friends over the years. On several occasions, I had the pleasure of meeting Sultan Salmeen Almansouri. This time I’m here to celebrate the National Day of Qatar. I think it is a good occasion to benefit from the communication and to also give the world a view of how Qatar could or will be. About relationship between Qatar and Austria, I think it is important to have a dialogue and learn from each other, as well as an open mind, in order to get things done.

 World Cup Qatar will bring us together

- Journalist Usama Soliman (Representative of Middle East News Agency in Europe): Qataris are extremely kind and friendly. They welcome people from different countries. They get good help from Vietnamese employment and they rely on them. Sultan Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Amir of Qatar is also a wise young leader. He achieved many good development goals for his country.

Journalist Usama Soliman (on the left) and Qatari Ambassador Sultan Salmeen Almansouri (Photo. WAJ)

- Ambassador Ibrahim Assaf (Lebanese Embassy in Austria): First, thanks for being here. We are really happy to participate in this exceptional event tonight at the invitation of the Ambassador of Qatar. We are here to celebrate with him- the National Day of Qatar. It is the National Day of everyone of us. Today we are at the National Day – a part of Arab countries which is very near to my country. I just want to say the relations between Qatar and Lebano. Many Qataris come to Lebanon, and many Lebanese live in Qatar. Qatar is currently hosting the World Cup. In this sense, it’s bringing together many and many nations, including Arab nations. So I’m very happy to be here and thank you all the best.

Dr. Yen Platz and Khaled Handoun

(Representative of WAJ at the United Nations in Vienna)