Al-Zayani will replace Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa as foreign minister Sheikh Khalid has been appointed as diplomatic adviser to the king MANAMA: Bahrain’s king appointed Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Abdullatif Al-Zayani as the kingdom’s next foreign minister on Thursday, Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported. Al-Zayani will take up his post when his term as GCC secretary general ends in March 2020. He will replace Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa who has been minister of foreign affairs since 2005 and has been appointed as diplomatic adviser to the king.