Qatar Wants to Invest Additional 10 Billion Euros in German

HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said that the State of Qatar would like to invest an additional 10 billion euros in Germany over the next five years, noting that it will become the largest Arab investor in Germany with a total investment of 35 billion euros.

In an interview with the German Handelsblatt newspaper, HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs said that Germany is a country with an important and stable economy. "We see many possibilities for investment here. We are discussing some projects. We have also implemented part of our investment promises and pump capital into some deals," .

Asked about the deals, HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al -Thani said: "It is still not possible to speak openly about them now."

"But we still see Deutsche Bank as a good investment opportunity, and that also applies to investments in other companies," His Excellency said.

On the satisfaction of the State of Qatar for its investments in Germany, HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs said that "Qatar Investment Authority is an institution with a long-term investment strategy. When we invest in any place, we are not looking for quick profit."

He stressed Qatar's desire to become a strategic investor and to build real partnerships, pointing out that economic fluctuations do not directly affect their investment decisions.

Whether events such as Volkswagen's diesel crisis, Deutsche Bank's decline, and the bankruptcy of Solar World are of concern to Qatar, His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said: "As I mentioned earlier, all these fluctuations, but Volkswagen, Deutsche Bank and other companies are all good institutions. There is no doubt that occasional problems will arise, but partnership means that we are working together in times of prosperity and in times of hardship. "

As for the preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, His Excellency said that Qatar would complete the infrastructure projects related to hosting the 2022 World Cup on schedule and possibly even faster, and that everything would be ready one year before the start of the tournament.

"We have overcome the obstacles created by the blockade for a long time, and we get all the material we need," he said.

He said that the World Cup was an opportunity to meet the world, and through it Qatar could also present itself and prove to the world that a small Asian country can host major international events.

Asked about Qatar's criticisms of workforce, HE Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said: "We accept criticism and have made major changes in labor laws." He stressed that "the State of Qatar does not accept any violations of human rights and changes the working conditions" "We have been treating workers who build stadiums and infrastructure fairly. There have been big problems, but we have listened to the criticism and listened to the deal, and we have improved the working conditions and laws of foreign workers."

"We believe that recognizing mistakes and making reforms is the right way, and this is the way Qatar is going,"His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said .

In response to a question on the date of lifting the blockade imposed on the State of Qatar, HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said, "You have to ask this question to the countries of the blockade. For our part, we asked them from the outset to prove their accusations with concrete evidence, but none of that happened. The whole world now knows that this blockade is not grounded and futile"

HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed that the State of Qatar has identified in figures the losses and damages resulting from the unjust blockade, noting that it will seek compensation for them through lawsuits before international courts. He stressed the blockade countries violated international treaties and conventions and will have to pay for this.

In response to a question about dealing with Iran, HE the Foreign Minister said, "Qatar's position is clear: above all, we do not want a nuclear arms race in the Gulf. The nuclear deal with Iran was a very good milestone, it must be preserved. We must now address and negotiate issues beyond the nuclear issue with Tehran."

HE the Foreign Minister said that the GCC countries welcomed the nuclear agreement and wanted to participate in the negotiations, however, "In 2017, several GCC states changed their position when Trump came to power and opposed the agreement. We think that the nuclear agreement is necessary. But we need to tackle the regional problems between Iran and the Arab states and not get into a new confrontation. Otherwise, there will be a dangerous nuclear arms race in our already unstable region."

He added, "If Iran gets nothing for its renunciation of nuclear weapons, it will step out of the nuclear deal - and then others will feel justified in resorting to nuclear weapons. Then everything in the region will be militarized."

HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that the international community has not acted against Bashar Al Assad, who has repeatedly crossed red lines to kill his people and use chemical weapons against them, adding that the talking about a political solution has stopped in Syria, which is a failure for the international community, that did not deal with this crisis properly.

He added, "This is a failure in how the international community deals with such humanitarian disasters. It can not just be about reducing violence, it must be about why people have gone out on the streets: reforms, democracy, a dignified life. But nobody talks about a political solution. This is a fire hazard for our region.

About how bad the image of the Middle East suffer in view of the wars there and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said, "That was a barbaric crime. This not only damages the image of the region but the whole humanity. Nobody can accept Khashoggi's murder. And there must also be a sign that such a thing is not accepted. This must be cleared up and the murderers must be punished."

In response to a question on whether the Saudi crown prince should step down after suspicions about giving him the order to assassinate journalist Jamal Khashoggi, HE the Foreign Minister said, "That's not our thing. The Saudis must show how they deal with those responsible. That's what Saudi Arabia has to do. But the world community must ensure that those responsible for this crime are held accountable."

HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs further added that the polarization in the region has reached a ridiculous level in front of the whole world, adding "We need stability - and not always new pretexts for conflicts. But we have no control over irresponsible leaders in the region. And besides the Qatar blockade, there were many irresponsible decisions in our region that are bad for us all."

He stressed that Qatar's accusation of financing of terrorism is ridiculous, adding "We are accused of financing terrorism, and at the same time, the center of the global alliance against terrorism is based in Qatar."

HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs warned that Yemen is in the midst of a humanitarian disaster that no one can accept, pointing out "The bombing must be stopped, and then the Yemeni conflict parties come to the negotiating table, not their representative Iran and Saudi Arabia. Rather, national dialogue must take place. The Yemenis must ask the others to stay out of it."