MANAMA /Bahrain/, October 18. /TASS/. The next meeting of the Russia-Gulf Cooperation Council Strategic Dialogue will be held in Russia and will be chaired by Saudi Arabia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"The next meeting of the strategic dialogue will be held in Russia on the rotational basis," he told a news conference after the 9th round of the Russia-Gulf Cooperation Council Strategic Dialogue. "Next year, Bahrain will be succeeded by Saudi Arabia as president. Together with out friends, we will be preparing the next ministerial meeting and will try to respond with no less hospitability than we were met with here."

The Gulf Cooperation Council is a regional organization of six countries, namely Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. The organization's goal is to expand cooperation among member countries in all areas and to develop common positions on key international and regional issues.