Riyadh, December 18, 2022, SPA -- Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Dr. Nayef Falah M. Al Hajraf stressed the importance of the pivotal and important role of the legislative institutions in the GCC countries in supporting and strengthening the blessed course of the Council. The Secretary General appreciated the great contributions of the speakers and members of the Shura Councils, Parliaments, Houses of Representatives, and the National Assembly in the GCC countries towards supporting the areas of integration and cooperation among the GCC states. Moreover, he highlighted their key endeavours to achieve the aspirations of the GCC citizens according to the directives and visions of the Leaders of the GCC states. Dr. Al Hajraf's remarks came during a meeting with a number of female members of the Shura Councils, Houses of Representatives, Parliaments and the National Assembly who are on a visit to the General Secretariat of the GCC in Riyadh to meet Chairwoman of the Delegation for Relations with the Arab Peninsula at the European Parliament Hannah Neumann. The Secretary General called for the importance of strengthening parliamentary dialogue between the countries of the Cooperation Council and the European Union in a way that serves common interests, stressing the great interest in creating an ideal environment that promotes gender equality by allowing women to occupy leadership roles and participate in the decision-making process in all fields. Furthermore, the Secretary General underscored the significance of maintaining mutual meetings between the Shura Councils, Houses of Representatives, Parliaments, and the National Assembly of the GCC countries and the European Parliament in a way that fulfills shared interests. The meeting witnessed the discussion of a number of issues and areas of joint Gulf parliamentary work and the efforts to preserve the gains in the GCC member states under the directives of the Leaders of the GCC states. --SPA 15:45 LOCAL TIME 12:45 GMT 0016 www.spa.gov.sa/w1828035