RIYADH: King Salman will chair the 40th Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Riyadh on Tuesday, with the city previously having hosted the summit on eight occasions.

GCC Secretary-General Dr. Abdullatif Al-Zayani said Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the meeting reflected its leadership’s keenness to overcome regional challenges.

He hailed King Salman’s leadership and his dedicated efforts to bolster the GCC out of his belief in the strength of fraternal relations among the bloc’s member states.

In remarks to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), he congratulated Saudi Arabia for assuming the presidency of the G20, saying it reflected the Kingdom’s high economic standing in the world and its constructive role in backing developing countries and regional issues.

He hoped the GCC summit would achieve the aspirations of the Gulf peoples in achieving greater cooperation between their countries.

The agenda is full of issues that aim to boost joint Gulf work in various political, economic, defense, security and legal fields. The Gulf leaders are also expected to tackle key regional and international affairs.

GCC foreign ministers arrived on Monday in Riyadh to take part in the ministerial meeting of the council, before holding further preparatory sessions.

The meetings were headed by UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr. Anwar Mohammed Gargash, with the participation of Al-Zayani.

At the beginning of the meeting, the ministers held their joint periodic meeting with a chairman and members of the advisory body of the supreme council, headed by the president of its current session, Sheikh Ahmed bin Youssef Al-Harthi.

Al-Harthi reviewed the report of the body on the work of its 23rd session, and its visions toward the studies mandated by the council.

Gargash expressed sincere thanks to the Kingdom for hosting the preparatory ministerial council meetings for the supreme council of the GCC.