Hamburg – The federal government has not yet decided whether high-ranking political representatives will visit the World Cup in Qatar at the end of the year. So said Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) at the end of the two-day conference of sports ministers in Hamburg.

The host of the World Cup has been criticized for years for the human rights situation and the conditions of foreign workers.

In March, Federal Economy Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) traveled to the emirate for economic talks. Among other things, the establishment of a long-term energy partnership to make Germany less dependent on Russian gas was discussed.

“I think you have to judge each event individually,” Faeser said. “We also have some support from Qatar as it is helping with the issue of how to evacuate former local staff from Afghanistan. In this regard, we also have a form of, I’ll call it cautious, cooperation there.”

Legislation in Qatar has already been changed regarding working conditions and the minimum wage. “Now we have to check if this also happens in reality. I consider such processes to be essential,” the minister said.

Countries including the US, Britain, Canada and Australia diplomatically boycotted the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February due to the human rights situation in China. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) and Nancy Faeser also did not travel to China. Neither the German nor the Japanese government wanted to talk about a boycott.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:220408-99-850070/2