GCC Secretary General Abdulrahman Al-Attiyah said last month the Arab House, which is located in Madrid, is considered a "space" for exchanged knowledge and "joint contemplation" to boost relations between Spain and the Arab world. In a speech he addressed before a seminar on dialogue between Spain and the GCC states, held within the framework of the GCC Days in Madrid, Al-Attiyah said that the Arab House reflects its importance on a political, economic and cultural level internationally and the mutual interests with Spain in all domains.

In his speech, Al-Attiyah stressed that the establishment of the Arab House and the International Institute for the Study of the Arab and Islamic World is an "important step" towards boosting distinctive Arab-Spanish relations, especially GCC-Spanish ties.

He praised the international conference which was organized in the Spanish capital last July on the Interfaith Dialogue, which was held under the patronage of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and the support of King Juan Carlos of Spain, which "succeeded in activating the dialogue among religions and cultures".

In this regard, he indicated the welcome of the GCC states for holding a special session at the UN General Assembly this month to support the Madrid Declaration on the world conference on dialogue. The official shed light on the USD-100-million donation presented by Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani of Qatar, Chairman of the GCC Supreme Council, to establish an institution aiming at boosting inter-communication between the youth in the Middle East and North Africa. "The GCC Days in Spain are considered a dialogue model which also helps build bridges in an intellectual and scientific manner, where it also embodies several political implications, such as historic Arab efforts to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, which was launched in Madrid in November 1991," Al-Attiyah remarked. He said that the Middle East, regarding its security and stability, is closely linked to the security of that of the Mediterranean and European security, adding that the GCC states had adopted stances regarding the crises which were and are still being witnessed, the last being during the Doha GCC summit, in order to defend the sovereignty, independence and unity of all lands of the region. He indicated that the recent GCC summit affirmed the right of states to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and the necessity of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) supervision over all the activities according to the international criteria for the protection of regional security and stability. He noted that the GCC Summit also called for having a region, including the GCC region, free of all kinds of mass-destruction weapons. Al-Attiyah also shed light on the efforts that have been exerted over the past 20 years to assess the developments in the Middle East, including international security and safety, which includes the Arab-Israeli conflict, fighting terrorism, preventing the spread of nuclear weapons, the efforts of national reconciliation in Iraq, Sudan and Lebanon.