Rwanda President Paul Kagame appreciated the efforts made by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani stressing that Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award is a recognition of the efforts exerted to combat corruption and ensure that it does not become a way of life.
In his remarks during the ceremony, the president extended his congratulations to Qatar and its people for the resounding success of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, noting the major evolution witnessed by the State since his first visit to Doha in 2008, until hosting the tournament events.
Kagame underlined that FIFA was right to select Qatar to host FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 events, where Qatar has proved its aptitude through the results and accomplishments achieved on the ground, criticising the smear campaigns unleashed against Qatar and begrudging it for hosting the tournament as if it is solely confined to some entities without the others. He hailed Qatar's response to these negative criticisms through the achievements that have been made on the ground, adding that there is no place in the world without mistakes, indicating that the situation of workers in Qatar is not as much worse as perceived by some parties who wanted to distort the facts, pointing out that millions of workers in many countries are facing worse situations.
Kagame pointed out that in light of the globalisation being witnessed by the world, the international group should respect the diverse cultures and customs and react in pursuit of living together, indicating that Qatar always seeks to achieve the welfare of its people and share it with the entire world through the charitable initiatives, pointing out that the funds provided by Qatar to host the tournament are wise investment, especially that substantial part of them has been directed to construct the integrated Lusail city that will be the engine of development for many centuries to come, as opposed to the criticisms unleashed by some Western media circles.
