Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the annual royal speech of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz to the works of the second year of the eighth session of the Saudi Shura Council, in which he expressed Saudi Arabia’s sincere and supportive positions for the rights of the Palestinian people.
According to the Palestinian News Agency (WAFA), Abbas expressed appreciation and respect for the Kingdom's stance toward the Palestinian cause, and its support for the restoration of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, foremost of which is the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital.
He emphasized that these stances stem from Saudi Arabia’s continued historical support for the Palestinian cause at all levels.
King Salman's annual speech before the Shura Council outlined the Kingdom’s policy at the regional and international levels, and the constants it has been adhering to for decades.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Dr. Abdulaziz bin Sager, President of the Gulf Research Center, said that the statements of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques during his speech about Gulf integration and development “stem from a keen interest to preserve the cohesion of the Gulf system.”
“This perspective represents a roadmap for the future of joint action, and reflects a strong will towards Gulf integration that achieves the good for the peoples of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and lays the foundations for security, peace and stability…” he stated.
Regarding Saudi statements that Tehran should change its negative policy and behavior in the region, bin Sager said: “Iran must respond to this generous, tolerant and conciliatory call, move towards dialogue and follow a policy of non-interference in the affairs of other countries.”
