Top US senator lauds Qatar’s labour reforms, World Cup
Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Senator Bob Menendez has applauded the great accomplishments and successes achieved by Qatar in supporting human rights, modernising labour market laws and protecting workers’ rights. He underlined Qatar’s excellence in organising a distinctive edition of the World Cup (FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022), “which is characterised by security, safety, a friendly spirit and a large gathering from all over the world to celebrate and enjoy the spirit of generosity and Arab hospitality”. Menendez said: “Qatar has come a long way in the development of labour rights”.
Chairman of United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Senator Bob Menendez applauded the great accomplishments and successes achieved by Qatar in supporting human rights, modernising labour market laws and legislations, and protecting workers’ rights.
He underlined Qatar’s excellence in making a distinctive edition of the World Cup (FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022), which is characterised by security, safety, a friendly spirit and a large gathering from all over the world to celebrate and enjoy the spirit of loving generosity and Arab hospitality.
In an exclusive interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), Senator Menendez said: “Qatar has come a long way in the development of labour rights and it took care of the people inside it, which helped in running a successful World Cup. I think a lot of progress is taking place.”
He added: “I am happy that Qatar has been able to be the first country in the region to host this event, and Qatar has worked really hard to ensure that everyone coming to Qatar enjoy the games and enjoy the hospitality by its people.”
“It is nice to see the global community coming to enjoy the games here in Qatar, we have seen games that are free from any bad actions, we saw the players respect each other, and we saw fans respect each other, and I think we have seen what the world can be like,” he added.
The game has rules, and everyone has to obey the rules, he stressed, calling on all people around the world to pay a visit to Doha and see how welcoming it is. “When one comes to Qatar, he has the experience to say Wow!” he said, noting that visiting Qatar gives the opportunity to enjoy the culture and hospitality while feeling totally welcome and secure. “My short visit to Doha was joyful and I saw that the global community came to Qatar and were well-received and wellrespected. That is the best thing that should happen around the world,” he said.
Senator Menendez spoke about the bilateral ties that connect the United States of America and Qatar that are based on international co-operation to find solutions for conflicts in some parts of the world. He said: “Under the leadership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, we have dramatically improved the relationship between the United States and Qatar. We are thankful for Qatar, for hosting our airbase here, and we appreciate that Qatar helped us in the evacuation in Afghanistan, and it played a major role regarding this.”
Senator Menendez appreciated Qatar’s co-operation with the United States in many issues in other parts of the world, noting that Qatar is an ally and a reliable partner of the United States. Commending Qatar’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup, Senator Menendez stressed: “Qatar has brought the global community together as one, in my time here I saw great achievements of justice and security, and I saw the spirit of the Qataris who welcomed guests.”
On the malicious campaigns against Qatar by some foreign media, he said: “I think it is good to highlight what is positive about the games.
There should be some criticism, that is a nature of hosting any global event. I think after the end of that Qatar will be stronger than before, they will stand up to the criticism, they will respond, and the most important here is not what the press says, but what everyone coming to Qatar has of experience.”