The Indian women, who will be visiting the Saudi capital and holding wide-ranging talks with local women besides visiting various public and private institutions, will be hosted by the Riyadh-based Saudi Journalists Association (SJA) here.

"The women’s delegation from India will meet Noura Al-Faiz, the first Saudi woman deputy minister of education, on Monday," said Saudi Ambassador to India Faisal H. Trad on Thursday.

"(They) will interact with Saudi women and visit women’s organizations in Riyadh with a view to improve understanding and establish better people-to-people contacts between the two countries."

The delegation, he said, includes Nilofar Suhrawardy, a prominent journalist and writer; Louise Khurshid, a well-known journalist and politician; Babli Moitra Saraf, principal of Indraprastha College for Women; Madhu Purnima Kishwar, social activist, Madhu Rao Ayde, textile designer; and Rashmi Taneja, a plastic and reconstructive consultant who works at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi.

He added that the status of women in Saudi Arabia had been subject to a many great changes over the past few years. "The Saudi women are rendering valuable contributions in every sector in my country, and in all those domains once dominated by men."

He said that women in India had adorned high offices including that of president, prime minister, speaker of the Lok Sabha, leader of opposition, among others.

The current President of India, Pratibha Patil, is a woman, he noted.

"There (is) an urgent need to enable women of Saudi Arabia and India to meet each other, understand each other and resolve to work together for a better peaceful world."

This visit of the delegation, he said, follows the signing of the “Delhi Declaration” and the “Riyadh Declaration” during the respective visits of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to Delhi and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Riyadh.

The delegation will visit the Princess Noura University and the ladies’ branch of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce, among other institutions. They are expected to leave Riyadh on Oct. 14.