Finance Minister of India Pranab Mukherjee arrives here today as head of a 50-member business delegation to attend the eighth meeting of the Indo-Saudi Joint Commission at the capital's Conference Palace. Abdullah Bin Ahmad Zainal Alireza, Minister of Commerce and Industry, will lead the Saudi side in today's meeting to discuss a range of bilateral issues concerning the two countries that include trade and commerce, economics, investment opportunities, education, security, labor, issuance of visas and Indian community welfare among others. Saudi Arabia is host to around 1.6 million Indian workers engaged in various economic development activities in the Kingdom. The Indian delegation that includes members of both the public and private sectors representing leading businesses and the country's chambers of commerce will attend the joint commission meeting. The Saudi side will be represented by government officials and members of the private sector. A team of Indian government officials arrived in Riyadh Wednesday to prepare the agenda of talks with Saudi officials for the joint commission meeting. The Indo-Saudi Joint Commission, which was set up in 1983, has so far held seven meetings. However, the ‘Delhi Declaration', which was signed during the January 2006 visit of King Abdullah, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to India, will be an important agenda item for discussion, according to a statement issued by the Indian Embassy in Riyadh. During his stay in Riyadh, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is also likely to hold bilateral meetings with top Saudi leadership, the statement said. A number of business activities will also be arranged on the sidelines of the joint commission meeting. These include the inauguration of the Textile Exhibition and Buyer-Seller-Meet organized by the Synthetic Rayon and Textile Export Promotion Council (SRTEPC) at Riyadh Palace. An exhibition of Indian business catalogues – ‘India Catex 2009'- and business meetings between Indian businessmen and their Saudi counterparts will also be held at the same venue.
