PARAGRAPH,WORDS AND MEANINGS

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Topic Of The Day:-“Mixed Optics: Saudi Crown Prince’s India Visit”

The Saudi Crown Prince’s visit highlighted the complexities in bilateral ties

As a standalone visit, the day-long trip of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud (MBS) to New Delhi will be regarded as a diplomatic success, given the numerous outcomes. After talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the two sides announced measures to upgrade the defence partnership, create a “Strategic Partnership Council” to coordinate on security issues, and institute regular talks between the two national security advisers to discuss counter-terrorism, intelligence-sharing and maritime security. Saudi Arabia has also expressed its interest in investing in infrastructure projects worth about $26 billion. This is beyond its already committed investments in India of $44 billion for the existing joint venture with the public sector oil undertakings and public fund investments of $10 billion. The language on terrorism in the joint statement was something of a dampener for those who would have hoped there would be strongercondemnation of the terror attack in Pulwama. But it was significant that the Saudi government agreed to insert an extra clause calling on states to renounce the “use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy”. It also acknowledged that disputes between India and Pakistan must be resolved bilaterally. At the leadership level, Mr. Modi extended more than a personal touch to the visit by going to the airport andembracing the Crown Prince on landing. The prince repaid the compliment, agreeing to increase Haj quotas and release 850 Indians from Saudi jails after a plea from Mr. Modi.

These announcements and gestures would have been far more significant had it not been for the fact that MBS’s trip came on the heels of his visit to Pakistan just after the Pulwama attack. As a result, his India visit is being measured against the statements made during his Pakistan visit, where he praised Islamabad for its fight against terrorism.He also announced $20 billion worth of investments, in addition to previously announced aid of $6 billion in cash and reserves. While such comparisons may be unwarranted, the visit to Delhi would have benefited in terms of optics if it hadn’t been preceded so closely by the one to Islamabad. The Modi government also overplayed its expectations from the visit by billing it as part of a diplomaticoffensive aimed at ‘isolating’ Pakistan in order to hold it to account for Pulwama. India and Saudi Arabia have steadily built bilateral relations and taken great care over the past two decades to ‘de-hyphenate’ them from ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. India-Saudi Arabia ties were strengthened into a strategic partnership announced in 2010 in the Riyadh Declaration when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh paid a visit, and were bolstered by King Salman’s visit in February 2014 and Mr. Modi’s 2016 trip to Saudi Arabia. Point-scoring with Pakistan, or attempting to compare the outcomes of the two visits, now onlyundermines the carefully built compact between New Delhi and Riyadh.

MEANINGS AND WORDS:-

1) diplomatic

Meaning: of or concerning diplomacy(adj).

Synonyms: gracious

Antonyms: impolite

Example: “diplomatic relations with Britain were broken”

2) venture

Meaning: a risky or daring journey or undertaking(n).

Synonyms: endeavor

Antonyms: idleness

Example: “pioneering ventures into little-known waters”

3) dampener

Meaning: a thing that has a restraining or subduing effect(n).

Synonyms: moaner

Antonyms: arouser

Example: “television and booze, those twin dampeners of the revolutionary spirit”

4) condemnation

Meaning: the expression of very strong disapproval; censure(n).

Synonyms: censure

Antonyms: approval

Example: “there was strong international condemnation of the attack”

5) renounce

Meaning: formally declare one’s abandonment of (a claim, right, or possession)(v).

Synonyms: deny

Antonyms: admit

Example: “Isabella offered to renounce her son’s claim to the French Crown”

6) disputes

Meaning: a disagreement or argument(n).

Synonyms: conflict

Antonyms: agreement

Example: “a territorial dispute between the two countries”

7) resolved

Meaning: firmly determined to do something.

Synonyms: settle

Antonyms: begin

Example:”Constance was resolved not to cry”

8) embracing

Meaning: hold (someone) closely in one’s arms, especially as a sign of affection(v).

Synonyms: grasp

Antonyms: give

Example: “Aunt Sophie embraced her warmly”

9) gestures

Meaning: a movement of part of the body, especially a hand or the head, to express an idea or meaning(n).

Synonyms: expression

Antonyms: speech

Example: “Alex made a gesture of apology”

10) heels

Meaning: fit or renew a heel on (a shoe or boot)(v).

Synonyms: attend

Example: “they were soling and heeling heavy working boots”

11) offensive

Meaning: causing someone to feel resentful, upset, or annoyed(adj).

Synonyms: annoying

Antonyms: agreeable

Example: “the allegations made are deeply offensive to us”

12) undermines

Meaning: erode the base or foundation of (a rock formation)(v).

Synonyms: blunt

Antonyms: aid

Example: “the flow of water had undermined pillars supporting the roof”

13) discrimination

Meaning: recognition and understanding of the difference between one thing and another(n).

Synonyms: intolerance

Antonyms: equity

Example: “discrimination between right and wrong”

14) collateral

Meaning: something pledged as security for repayment of a loan, to be forfeited in the event of a default(n).

Synonyms: ancillary

Antonyms: different

Example: “she put her house up as collateral for the bank loan”

15) declared

Meaning: openly or formally asserted or announced(adj).

Synonyms: affirmed

Example: “despite the company’s declared good intentions, some remained sceptical”

16) negotiations

Meaning: discussion aimed at reaching an agreement(n).

Synonyms: arbitration

Antonyms: disagreement

Example: “a worldwide ban is currently under negotiation

17) compact

Meaning: closely and neatly packed together; dense(adj).

Synonyms: solid

Antonyms: empty

Example: “a compact cluster of houses”

18) bilateral

Meaning: having or relating to two sides; affecting both sides(adj).

Synonyms: mutual

Antonyms: multilateral

Example : “bilateral hearing is essential for sound location”