The speakers of the legislative councils of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) sent cables of thanks and appreciation to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for hosting the 12th meeting of the heads of the legislative councils of the GCC countries in Jeddah. This came in the final statement of the meeting held in Jeddah on Thursday under the chairmanship of Sheikh Dr. Abdullah Al-Asheikh, speaker of the Saudi Shoura Council. The statement included the resolutions taken by the speakers of GCC legislative councils on a number of topics listed on the agenda. The speakers of the GCC legislative councils condemned the declaration of the US regarding the Syrian Golan Heights occupied by Israel. They thanked the National Assembly of Kuwait for hosting the symposium, “Localization of the jobs and investment in the human resources of the GCC countries.” The participants acknowledged choosing the role of the legislative councils in achieving the goals of sustainable development to be the common Gulf theme for 2019. They also praised the initiative of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, president of the UAE, in declaring 2019 as the year of tolerance in the UAE. They congratulated Bahrain on the success of Bahrain’s parliamentary and municipal elections for the fifth legislative term. They also expressed their thanks and gratitude to the Saudi Shoura Council for their hospitality and warm reception and to the Shoura Council of the Sultanate of Oman for the preparation and organization of the meeting. Earlier, Al-Asheikh said that the Kingdom had always attached particular importance to defending Arab and Islamic causes during regional and international forums. “The Palestinian cause is at the core of Saudi Arabia’s concerns, as it continues to support the people of Palestine to obtain their legitimate rights, including the establishment of an independent state, with East Jerusalem as its capital.” “Saudi Arabia has called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities in protecting the Palestinians from Israeli aggression, which is a violation of peace and a provocation to the feelings of Arabs and Muslims.” Al-Sheikh said that the GCC countries continue to face challenges as well as the threat of terrorist states and organizations, which target the security, stability, economies, capabilities and youth of the GCC countries. “We must work with our friends in all countries of the world to maintain security and stability in the region and the world, and we must insist on achieving full and adequate guarantees toward Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile development programs.”