RIYADH: The secretaries-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) met in Riyadh for talks on further strengthening ties between the two bodies. Head of the OIC, Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen, congratulated his GCC counterpart, Dr. Naif bin Falah Al-Hajraf, on his appointment to the position earlier this year. During the meeting, they discussed joint implementation mechanisms for the OIC-GCC cooperation agreement and exchanged views on regional issues relevant to member states of both organizations. Meanwhile, Al-Othaimeen spoke by phone with the former GCC secretary-general and current Bahraini minister of foreign affairs, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani. Their conversation touched on the OIC’s efforts to help stop the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in member states. In relation to the organization of this year’s Hajj season, Al-Zayani praised the decisive actions of Saudi Arabia aimed at protecting Muslim pilgrims from the health threat posed by the COVID-19 outbreak.