German-Qatari relations are witnessing a “great conflict”, embodied in the Germans’ protest against Qatar’s treatment of homosexuals on the one hand, and the signing of a major gas deal between the two sides on the other, according to a report by the British newspaper “The Guardian” published on Tuesday evening.
The newspaper stated in the report that German companies recently signed a 15-year agreement to buy two million tons of liquefied gas from Qatar, “sending conflicting signals about the priority Germany attaches to human rights in the Gulf, and its commitment to carbon-neutral energy supplies.”
The newspaper explained this inconsistency, noting that while Germany was one of the countries most “critical of Qatar at the World Cup for its treatment of gay, bisexual and transgender people, as well as the working conditions of workers who build football stadiums,” the German Minister of Economy, Robert Habeck, praised in At the same time, he reached a 15-year agreement with Qatar to supply liquefied natural gas to his country, according to The Guardian.
“15 years is great… I wouldn’t be against contracts of 20 years or longer,” Habeck, who is also a member of the Green Party, told reporters at an event in Germany today.
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Habik visited Qatar last March, about a month after the Russian-Ukrainian war, as part of the government’s efforts to diversify gas supplies.
In parallel with the signing of this agreement, European campaigns continue against Qatar’s organization of the World Cup and against its ban on homosexuals raising their slogans during the World Cup matches, starting from Britain and Germany and even France, which has advanced economic, commercial, sports and security relations with Doha, joined the instigators, the former president of the International Federation of Football. The Swiss “FIFA” footballer, Joseph Sepp Blatter.
In response to these campaigns, the Qatari Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, accused the German government of “misleading and double standards” over its criticism of his country’s hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
As part of the campaign, European ministers, led by Germans, defended the right of their countries’ soccer teams to express their views in support of the LGBT community during the World Cup matches in Qatar.
German Interior Minister Nancy Weser showed her support for her country’s national team when she attended the German national team’s match against Japan, wearing the colorful gay badge.
The German minister sat in the main booth, where senior attendees, including the old FIFA President Gianni Infantino, emphasized the prohibition of this flag in matches, and the imposition of penalties on players if they wear it.
On November 25, 7 European teams withdrew from wearing badges supporting homosexuality during the World Cup matches, fearing the penalties that FIFA announced its intention to impose on violators during the Qatar World Cup 2022, according to the Associated Agency. Press”.
“As national associations, we cannot put our players in a position where they may be subject to penalties, including yellow cards, from the moment they enter the field,” the seven teams said in a joint statement.
The statement was issued by England, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Wales and Switzerland.
Qatar, the first country in the Middle East to host the soccer World Cup, came under fire ahead of the tournament over allegations of its mistreatment of migrant workers.
The German national team players also resorted to muzzling their mouths during the official photo before their match with Japan in the opening of Group E competitions, in protest against the refusal of the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) to allow them to wear badges in support of homosexuals.