RIYADH: Legislative institutions within Gulf Cooperation Council countries are pivotal to the group’s strength and success, its secretary-general, Nayef Fala Al-Hajraf, said. The council chief was speaking to female members of legislative institutions during their visit to the General Secretariat of the GCC in Riyadh to meet Hannah Neumann, chairwoman of the European Parliament’s delegation for relations with the Arab Peninsula. Al-Hajraf said he appreciated the great contribution made by the speakers and members of Shoura councils, parliaments, houses of representatives, and national assemblies in GCC countries in supporting integration and cooperation. He also praised their efforts in helping to achieve the aspirations of GCC citizens in line with the visions of state leaders. In his meeting with the visiting delegates, Al-Hajraf called for a strengthening of parliamentary dialogue between GCC countries and the EU in a way that served their common interests. He also stressed the need to create an environment that promoted gender equality and allowed women to occupy leadership roles and participate in the decision-making process in all fields.