Qatar will host successful World Cup, says UK envoy

DOHA: The new British ambassador yesterday said Qatar will host a very successful World Cup in 2022. 

Qatar’s winning 2022 bid is a great opportunity for countries such as the UK to work closely with Qatar to help it have a very successful World Cup, Nicholas Hopton told a press conference. 

“Qatar has been chosen to have the World Cup in 2022. I think Qatar will have great success in it,” he said. 

To a question about an article in The Guardian on deaths of Nepalese workers in Qatar, Hopton said: “I can’t talk on behalf of the newspaper. But, of course, I have read the report.” 

However, he remains optimistic Qatar is taking steps to safeguard migrant workers’ rights. 

‘I think there is a question about human rights. I’m very pleased that Qatari authorities have said that they are going to investigate these reports, very important that they do that and I hope very much that there are issues abount treatment of workers that would be addressed.” He said the media in the UK functions independently.

“Journalists don’t speak for the government,” and the Qatari authorities have not spoken to him about the reports as they understand the system in the UK.”

Hopton, with 25 years of diplomatic service, took over as ambassador to Qatar in July. Relations between the UK and Qatar have become stronger in several areas such as culture, trade and security and the number of British people coming here has increased by 16 percent. 

The Qatar UK 2013 Year of Culture has added valuable cooperation and exchange and helped celebrate cultures and friendship, according to Hopton. 

“The number of people living and working in Qatar is rising, now there are more than 20,000 people, about 16 percent higher than last year, more and more people are moving in and involved in Qatar’s development and business,” he said. 

In 2013, the British embassy received 34,000 visa applications compared with 26,234 in 2012, up 29 percent. 

Qatar remains as the UK’s third largest export market in the Gulf. British exports to Qatar rose from 363m in 2005 to 1.31bn by 2012-end.