Bahrain names GCC chief country’s new foreign minister

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Bahrain has appointed the head of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council as the country’s next foreign minister, state media reported Thursday.

The Bahrain News Agency reported that Bahrain’s king named Abdullatif al-Zayani as the foreign minister. Local media reported al-Zayani will assume the post when his term as secretary general of the GCC ends on March 31.

He’ll be replacing Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, who’s been Bahrain’s foreign minister since 2005. Al Khalifa, who confirmed the news on Twitter and congratulated al-Zayani, will serve as diplomatic adviser to the king.