RIYADH: Relations between Iraq and the Gulf Cooperation Council are important and “must progress, ” Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi said on Thursday. On the second day of his visit to Saudi Arabia, Abdul-Mahdi met with the secretary general of the GCC, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani in Riyadh. Abdul-Mahdi and Al-Zayani discussed the development of relations between Iraq and GCC countries and issues of mutual interest. “Cooperation and economic relations must progress for the better,” Abdul-Mahdi said. Saudi Arabia and Iraq have agreed to cooperate in security and intelligence matters, Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed Ali Al-Hakim told Al Arabiya television.  Meanwhile, Abdul-Mahdi also attended the Saudi-Iraqi Business Forum, which included representatives from large Saudi companies. He also inaugurated an exhibition on Wednesday called “Cities Destroyed by Terrorism” that is showing at the National Museum in Riyadh. The exhibition was organised by the Minister of Culture and the Arab World Institute in Paris. The Iraqi prime minister arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday for a two-day visit to the Kingdom. He held talks with King Salman on relations between the two countries, and later met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. UPDATE: As he met King Salman, Iraqi PM Adel Abdul-Mahdi stressed that his visit to #SaudiArabia symbolizes the Iraqi governments aim to bolster ties with the Kingdom. https://t.co/kCVPQDvcc2pic.twitter.com/DZ2ANl2Rr6 — Arab News (@arabnews) April 17, 2019 His visit to the Kingdom “symbolizes the Iraqi governments vision in aiming to bolster ties with the Kingdom in all fields,” the Iraqi prime minister said on Facebook. The two countries signed 13 agreements and memorandums of understanding between their various ministries. The deals covered many areas including energy, education, culture and political consultation.