The Shura Council State of Qatar

Their Excellencies Speakers of the Shura, Representatives, National and Ummah Councils in the GCC countries congratulated the State of Qatar on the success of the General Referendum on the draft constitutional amendments to the permanent constitution of the State of Qatar.

This came in the final statement of the 18th regular meeting of Speakers of the Shura, Representatives, National and Ummah Councils in the GCC countries which was held Tuesday, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The statement lauded the salient role performed by the Shura Council of the State of Qatar during its presidency of the 17th regular meeting, emphasizing that this role has strengthened the path of cooperation and coordination among the Gulf legislative councils, and positively impacted the joint Gulf action.

The conferees expressed their grave concern over the ongoing crisis in Palestine, underscoring the importance of the international community's obligation to uphold its responsibility toward protecting the Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the remainder of the occupied territories.

Additionally, they stressed the need for lifting the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip and called for unconditional opening of all crossings immediately to ensure the delivery of essential humanitarian, relief, and medical assistance to meet the fundamental needs of residents of the Strip, affirming that they stand in solidarity with the brotherly people of Lebanon and called for stepping up regional and global efforts to end the war in Lebanon and provide the emergency humanitarian support to mitigate the suffering of civilians.

Their Excellencies Speakers of the Shura, Representatives, National and Ummah Councils in the GCC countries agreed to select the topic of the legislative role of the Gulf legislative councils in governing Artificial Intelligence: Reality, challenges, and future prospects as the common Gulf topic for 2025, which will be discussed within the framework of the councils' sessions.

The statement hailed the recommendations of the symposium on cultural diversity and the role of the Gulf legislative councils in protecting Gulf identity, which was organized by the Shura Council as part of the Gulf topic of the previous session, and accordingly they took a number of critical decisions related to reinforcing the parliamentary relationship among the GCC states and lending impetus to the Gulf parliamentary cooperation at numerous levels.

Moreover, the statement commended the outcomes of the first GCC-EU summit, which was held in Brussels.

And Their Excellencies Speakers of the Shura, Representatives, National and Ummah Councils in the GCC countries welcomed the Saudi Arabia's hosting of the first Global Alliance dedicated to advancing the two-state solution, noting the convention of the Joint Arab-Islamic Summit in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to discuss the ongoing Israeli aggression on the occupied Palestinian territories and Lebanon, along with the current developments in the region.