diff --git a/lib/meson.build b/lib/meson.build
index 48046b3..44ced53 100644
--- a/lib/meson.build
+++ b/lib/meson.build
@@ -1,19 +1,14 @@
 libtargets = []
 
-# Add compile flags for OpenMP if enabled
-openmpflags = []
-if get_option('use_openmp')
-  openmpflags = ['-DXSS_USE_OPENMP=true', '-fopenmp']
-endif
-
 if cpp.has_argument('-march=haswell')
   libtargets += static_library('libavx',
     files(
       'x86simdsort-avx2.cpp',
       ),
     include_directories : [src],
-    cpp_args : ['-march=haswell', openmpflags],
+    cpp_args : ['-march=haswell'],
     gnu_symbol_visibility : 'inlineshidden',
+    dependencies: [omp_dep],
     )
 endif
 
@@ -23,8 +18,9 @@ if cpp.has_argument('-march=skylake-avx512')
       'x86simdsort-skx.cpp',
       ),
     include_directories : [src],
-    cpp_args : ['-march=skylake-avx512', openmpflags],
+    cpp_args : ['-march=skylake-avx512'],
     gnu_symbol_visibility : 'inlineshidden',
+    dependencies: [omp_dep],
     )
 endif
 
@@ -34,8 +30,9 @@ if cpp.has_argument('-march=icelake-client')
       'x86simdsort-icl.cpp',
       ),
     include_directories : [src],
-    cpp_args : ['-march=icelake-client', openmpflags],
+    cpp_args : ['-march=icelake-client'],
     gnu_symbol_visibility : 'inlineshidden',
+    dependencies: [omp_dep],
     )
 endif
 
@@ -45,8 +42,9 @@ if cancompilefp16
       'x86simdsort-spr.cpp',
       ),
     include_directories : [src],
-    cpp_args : ['-march=sapphirerapids', openmpflags],
+    cpp_args : ['-march=sapphirerapids'],
     gnu_symbol_visibility : 'inlineshidden',
+    dependencies: [omp_dep],
     )
 endif
 
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index c796a0a..0b826f0 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 project('x86-simd-sort', 'cpp',
-        version : '6.0.x',
+        version : '7.0.x',
         license : 'BSD 3-clause',
         default_options : ['cpp_std=c++17'])
 fs = import('fs')
@@ -29,6 +29,14 @@ if get_option('build_vqsortbench')
   benchvq = true
 endif
 
+# openMP:
+omp = []
+omp_dep = []
+if get_option('use_openmp')
+  omp = dependency('openmp', required : true)
+  omp_dep = declare_dependency(dependencies: omp, compile_args: ['-DXSS_USE_OPENMP'])
+endif
+
 fp16code = '''#include<immintrin.h>
 int main() {
   __m512h temp = _mm512_set1_ph(1.0f);
@@ -43,8 +51,8 @@ if get_option('lib_type') == 'shared'
   libsimdsort = shared_library('x86simdsortcpp',
                              'lib/x86simdsort.cpp',
                              include_directories : [src, utils, lib],
-                             link_args : [openmpflags],
                              link_with : [libtargets],
+                             dependencies: [omp_dep],
                              gnu_symbol_visibility : 'inlineshidden',
                              install : true,
                              soversion : 1,
@@ -53,8 +61,8 @@ else
   libsimdsort = static_library('x86simdsortcpp',
                              'lib/x86simdsort.cpp',
                              include_directories : [src, utils, lib],
-                             link_args : [openmpflags],
                              link_with : [libtargets],
+                             dependencies: [omp_dep],
                              gnu_symbol_visibility : 'inlineshidden',
                              install : true,
                              pic: true,
@@ -63,7 +71,7 @@ endif
 
 pkg_mod = import('pkgconfig')
 pkg_mod.generate(libraries : libsimdsort,
-                 version : '4.0',
+                 version : '7.0',
                  name : 'libx86simdsortcpp',
                  filebase : 'x86simdsortcpp',
                  description : 'C++ template library for high performance SIMD based sorting routines.')
diff --git a/tests/meson.build b/tests/meson.build
index b070bcc..f124c0d 100644
--- a/tests/meson.build
+++ b/tests/meson.build
@@ -1,9 +1,5 @@
 libtests = []
 
-if get_option('use_openmp')
-  openmpflags = ['-DXSS_USE_OPENMP=true']
-endif
-
 # Add compile flags when needed for the ASAN CI run
 testargs = []
 if get_option('asan_ci_dont_validate')
@@ -16,21 +12,21 @@ endif
 
 libtests += static_library('tests_qsort',
   files('test-qsort.cpp', ),
-  dependencies: gtest_dep,
+  dependencies: [omp_dep, gtest_dep],
   include_directories : [src, lib, utils],
-  cpp_args : [testargs, openmpflags],
+  cpp_args : [testargs],
   )
 
 libtests += static_library('tests_kvsort',
   files('test-keyvalue.cpp', ),
-  dependencies: gtest_dep,
+  dependencies: [omp_dep, gtest_dep],
   include_directories : [src, lib, utils],
-  cpp_args : [testargs, openmpflags],
+  cpp_args : [testargs],
   )
 
 libtests += static_library('tests_objsort',
   files('test-objqsort.cpp', ),
-  dependencies: gtest_dep,
+  dependencies: [omp_dep, gtest_dep],
   include_directories : [src, lib, utils],
-  cpp_args : [testargs, openmpflags],
+  cpp_args : [testargs],
   )