Former French President Sarkozy Lauds Qatar's Fusion of Identity and Modernity

Doha, December 11 (QNA) - Former French President, Nicola Sarkozy has praised Qatar's competence, under the leadership of HH the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, to merge national identity with openness and novelty, lauding meantime the country's strategy of making sports as a core commitment. Delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of Doha GOALS Forum at Aspire Sports Academy premises here Tuesday, Sarkozy said Sports is essential to helping integrate identity with modernity. He stressed that his impression with Doha's ability to create this infusion motivated him to come to Doha. He noted that Doha was a great model for harmonizing the devotion to Islam, culture, and customs with the desire to reach the 21th century modernity. The former French president expressed his admiration at the state-of-the-art infrastructure and construction boom in Doha, pointing to the adoption of democracy and the freedom granted to women, the huge investments, and the use of new technology. Sarkozy emphasized that he was backing Qatar s hosting of FIFA World Cup 2022 as it is vital in our 21st century that a Muslim state would be able to organize such a gigantic event. He anticipated Qatar s hosting of the FIFA 2022 will be a one-off experience as the country enjoys recognizable sports infrastructure and proved success in hosting many global championships. In a related development , Sarkozy noted that football appeals to everyone thus we can t limit the hosting of the world cup to Europe and Southern America. Moreover, he recognized Qatar s pledges to host this tremendous event despite the extreme hot weather of the region. (QNA)