Foreign Minister Michael Linhart visited Qatar on 27 October. The agenda for his meetings in Doha included the developments in and around Afghanistan, promoting the Austrian export economy as part of the ReFocus Austria initiative, and the issue of labour law in the context of the Football World Cup.
With Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdul Aziz Al Thani and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Foreign Minister Michael Linhart discussed the situation in Afghanistan. As ever, Doha remains at the centre of international efforts, including the evacuation of European citizens. Recently, around a dozen Austrians were able to leave Kabul as a result.
Foreign Minister Michael Linhart warned:
We cannot permit Afghanistan to become a black hole in terms of security policy, a haven for and simultaneously an exporter of international terrorism. It is particularly important to work closely with the states in the region and to jointly increase the pressure on the Taliban.
He will once again discuss the situation in Afghanistan directly with Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan during his upcoming trip to Central Asia.Furthermore, the crisis areas in the region were also addressed, for instance the relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the situation in Iraq following the elections, and the negotiations on upholding the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) that was concluded in Vienna. The trip is part of an intensified partnership between Austria and the Gulf states.
The Gulf region is in transition. The political, societal and economic upheavals in this region are enormous. It is in our own interest to follow this dynamic and positively influence it,
said Foreign Minister Michael Linhart.
In addition, he met with a representative of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to talk about Qatar’s latest reform measures in the area of labour law. Michael Linhart:
On the occasion of the Soccer World Cup, the eyes of the world will be focused on Qatar. That attention must be used to achieve further advances in the area of human rights as well as the compliance of working conditions.
For Foreign Minister Michael Linhart, the trip to Doha is already the third international trip during his first two weeks in office, following his visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina and to the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg.
