47 years after the establishment of diplomatic relations and 8 years after opening permanent embassies in both Mexico City and Doha, Mexico and Qatar are forging a strategic relationship’s rapprochement based on mutual identification and an outstanding diplomatic work in which public diplomacy tools are implemented, boosting cultural, sports, tourism, gastronomic, parliamentary and artistic exchanges in addition to issues related to trade, investment and connectivity. The March 2022 travel tour held by the Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, together with a business delegation, was part of this context, which endorsed the strength ties between these two key countries within geopolitics and whose leadership is projected beyond their respective regions. In that same sense, corresponds the meeting on July 27 that took place between the Mexican Foreign Ministry (SRE) with its counterpart, the Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
From November 21 to December 18, Qatar will host the FIFA World Cup. The Mexican National Team, one of the 32 classified, will be joined by their Mexican fans, one of the largest fan community in the world, whom will support them in the Lusail and 974 stadiums, along with the use of our national Mexican colors in Qatari public spaces. In addition, this will match with a Mexican community residents in Doha, and also Mexican volunteers that were summoned by the Organizing Committee, as well as Mexican artists, entrepreneurs, technicians and professionals who will be present in the hotel, entertainment and other services industries during the World Cup, as well as the presence of Mexican media.
Therefore, at the initiative of the Minister Ebrard, SRE together with other Ministries of the Mexican Government, will display its presence in Qatar during November and December, also reinforcing the assistance capabilities while the FIFA World Cup games and celebrations unfolds. In this sense, the installation of the #CentroMexicoenQatar2022 based in the Katara Cultural Foundation (Doha) as well as the actions of the Embassy of Mexico in Qatar, are two aligned channels that will strengthen the capacities to provide information to the Mexican public, accomplish public diplomatic initiatives, and implement strategies to assist nationals through protection protocols and consular care too. All this translates into a joint coordination and collaboration action of the Government of Mexico to follow up on the stay of people who attend Qatar.
Qatar will be the prelude to the 2026 World Cup whose baton will be received by Mexico, the United States and Canada on December 18. Which, in turn, and in an unprecedented way, will be the first in which 3 countries host a World Cup in unison, an event that will reaffirm the integration of North America, its supply chains, tourism, infrastructure and the joint work, being also the stage that will frame the third time that Mexico will host a World Cup. Certainly, it is an international event that will function as a platform for positioning the image of the country, also considering the additional economic benefit and the inclusion of communities as a factor of well-being.
The idea of “Mexico in Qatar” is a historical representation that encompasses the largest concentration of Mexicans visiting the Middle East ever, a unique occasion and a legacy linked to cultural exchange and permanent memory. The Mexico presence in Qatar, in all its expressions, in principle, will become one blending together with the Middle East culture of Arab and Islamic tradition, but further after closing of the World Cup, it will mark a symbolically significant step towards bilateral relationship cooperation enhancement.
Alfonso Zegbe Camarena – Head of Strategy and Public Diplomacy & General Coordinator and Special Envoy of the Mexican Government for Qatar World Cup 2022.
Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs
