Then, President Francois Hollande of the French Republic delivered a speech in which he thanked the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the GCC leaders for inviting him as first ever guest of honor of their consultative meetings. The French President stressed that France supports the Operation Determination Storm which now transferred into Operation Renewal of Hope aiming to restore stability in Yemen, reiterating France's commitment to stand by and support the Gulf Cooperation Council, not only as a friend and ally, but because defending the GCC interests means defending France's interests. Francois Hollande added that he agreed with the Custodian of the Two holy Mosques to upgrade existing defense agreement between us to the highest levels. The French President confirmed that France will play its role and continue in finding solutions for the Syrian crisis through bringing the moderate opposition at one point. Likewise, France stands by the side of the coalition fighting ISIS and trying to bring the situation in control in Libya through the UN efforts. He added that France stands by supporting the Yemeni legitimacy for Yemeni's unity and freedom as well as for implementing the Security Council decision No. 2216. He paid tribute to the King's initiative to hold soon in Riyadh a conference for Yemeni parties. Regarding the Iranian issue, Hollande stressed that ongoing talks on the Iranian nuclear program deserves our keenness and vigilance. "We want strong, sustainable and verifiable agreement. We must remain attentive to the Iranian actions and not only words, “the French President said. --More 18:11 LOCAL TIME 15:11 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w