A discreet affair

[Polesia]

Château de Cáscon

The lithe black helicopter carrying External Affairs Minister Ajoy Qamaruzzaman and his entourage of advisers and security personnel descended slowly onto the small helipad in the midst of the dense forest that surrounded the grounds of the Château de Cáscon, residence of the Queen of Belmont's brother, the Duke of Cascon. A small bump as it made contact with the ground rocked the aircraft and those inside gently, who began to relax as the deafening noise from the whirling blades began to ease to a halt.

It was Minister Qamaruzzaman's first time in Belmont. Years of sour relations had meant even the world famous Belmontien wine was difficult to obtain in the People's Republic. Qamaruzzaman had only tasted Belmontien wine once, and that was a sip at one of the extraordinary Communist Party gatherings hosted at President Moheen Chatterjee's official residence, the luxurious House of Vangala. He had to admit he found it bitter and preferred the warm spice of the traditional masala chai, although he would tell his host Jean-Jacques Villevan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, otherwise.

Qamaruzzaman was looking forward to negotiations. He had pressed the newly instated Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belmont, Hossein Waddedar, to organise talks. Belmont was active in Vangalan areas of interest and often their beliefs were aligned, the conflict in the Jurzan being the latest example. Yet just as often they collided, and North Ratomkira's recent declaration of independence had been a particularly nasty collision.

To his dismay, he had learnt neither Kilkila and Paris had an interest in publicising discussions. According to The People's Voice, the Communist Party's mouthpiece, Comrade Qamaruzzman was on a private holiday. After years of silence or provocation between the two nations, the External Affairs Minister was hoping for an open and honest relationship between Belmont and Vangala.

As he moved to greet Minister Villevan, he remembered the words of Ambassador Waddedar. The Belmontiens are fickle, hard to please and have a superiority complex, repeatedly punching above their weight. Perhaps it was better to keep this quiet after all, instead of having the newspapers in Belmont printing of yet another failed meeting with Vangala.

 

[Serenierre]

Château de Cáscon

As the helicopter landed onto the chateau's small helipad, Villevan remained stationary, waiting for the blades to stop moving before walking closer towards the black aircraft.

As the Vangalan man stepped out, Villevan smiled and extended his hand, "Bonjour, Monsieur Qamaruzzaman. Welcome to the Kingdom of Belmont." He had been unsure about going through with the meeting, he had known for some time that the Vangalan policies were far too different for there to be any form of agreement to emerge from the dialogue. He'd only gone through and accepted the Vangalan proposal for secret meetings only after the Premier had forced him to.

Well here he was, the Vangalan man whose name he had seen numerous times in the statements the two countries issued against each other at times when their relationship soured further. He looked at the man, much shorter than him, he shook his hand firmly. After an initial round of pleasantries, the two ministers began walking towards the château, on loan from the Queen's brother for the meeting. Inside, the Grand Drawing Room had been selected as a venue for the meeting just because it was so different from what they were used to in Kilkila.

According to ISE pictures, the Vangalan VIPs had a taste for the tacky and gaudy, with their President topping the cake of tackiness. That man's Vangala House residence was large and looked as if it had been vomited upon by the great masters. Though he might have been reacting harsher than need be, his opinion of the Vangalans remained the same. They were a criminal bunch, an opinion formed by looking at the Vangalan expats in Belmont, and the 'People's Republic' was hardly for the people.

Now inside the chateau, Villevan kept his smile, "Monsieur Qamaruzzaman, please get comfortable," he said politely. He looked at the man as he took his seat. Would this man succeed in changing Villevan's opinion of his countrymen? He took his seat thinking that.

 

[Polesia]

Château de Cáscon

The External Affairs Minister eased his bulk into the seat and fidgeted until he was comfortable. His arms, swollen from years of extravagent dining with foreign diplomats, rested heavily on the chair's sides, while his feet slid across the freshly polished until his legs stretched to a convenient position, allowing him to relax regain his breath. A few terse slight towards his staff sent them scurrying away to the corners of the room. Sighing heavily, he strained as his fingers clumsily trawled through his pockets for a cigarette. A smoke was always needed before negotiations, especially when dealing with people as tiring as the Belmontiens.

"Minister, you don't mind if I smoke in here do you?" Qamaruzzaman did not have to finish before Villevan had smiled. He would have offered the Belmontien Foreign Minister one, but the cigarettes, his favourite brand, were from Marquette and knowing the historical rivalry, felt it may have caused offence.

Qamaruzzaman took several long and hard drags and tried to ignore the harsh crackle of the paper burning. His wife, had urged him to quit for years. He placated her with empty promises, but with most of the nation continuing to smoke, he saw no reason to quit.

"Now, we are behind close doors, away from the prying eyes of the press" He began, letting the cigarette smoulder slowly. "We should speak frankly. Before I state Vangala's aims, I want to know what Paris really thinks."

 

[Serenierre]

Château de Cáscon

"Yes, we should be frank with one another," Villevan began, nodding his head gently, "The official position remains that The Kingdom has dropped our more anti-communist stances in recent years, more so since this current government took over... Belmont and Vangala are obviously never going to agree on everything and it is this government's hope that these talks allow for an opportunity for us to see and discover what arrangement works best for us."

He leaned forward, "Since it was your good office which initiated these talks... I leave it you to further the progression of this meeting."

OOC: Sorry for having made you wait for so long. Also the post is small I know but I'm like typing this on the go.

 

[Polesia]

Château de Cáscon

A slight smirk pushed Qamaruzzman's large, soft cheeks to the side, partially revealing his browned teeth, stained after years of tea-drinking and heavy smoking. Villevan had been reticent in his reply and revealed little about Belmont's objectives.

"The People's Republic of Vangala shares the Kingdom of Belmont's spirit of co-operation," The smirk became a full smile now. "And it is my intention these talks succeed. We have much to discuss but let me start off by tackling the biggest obstacle: the status of North Ratomkira. I, and my superiors in Kilkila, do not wish to pressure Belmont into formal recognition and ties, rather that you respect the wishes of the people of northern Ratomkira and do not involve yourselves in petty campaigns aimed at undermining the revolutionary regime in Na Treng."

The Vangalan External Affairs Minister had begun slowly, it had been years since he had properly conversed in French. On the flight to Paris he had practiced his accent and revised certain words and phrases. Fittingly, he had learnt the French language to speak with the Ratomkirans. French, it was believed, was similar enough to German, which most educated Vangalans spoke, it would be easy to comprehend, far easier than Kambudjan and Lanxangese.

"Once you agree this, Minister Villevan, I am sure we can move to more fruitful topics, like Belmontien investment."

Qamaruzzman finished hoping the lure of wealth would entice Belmont to accept his suggestion. The Vangalan economy, with its low costs, loosening regulations and exotic feel, had attracted many investors and further lined the already gilded pockets of the Communist Party with more money. If all went well with these talks, Belmontien businessmen would soon be as well.

 

[Serenierre]

Ratomkira. Villevan had hoped not to hear that nation's name. It had been an uncomfortable matter between Kilkila and Paris in the past, as the country had split in two. "Minister Qamaruzzman, the Ratomkira issue is something which if we start debate on... these talks shall be in vain. We both have strong convictions for our own mutual stands... and my personal advice is that, we disregard this matter... and all other matters where we disagree and agree to disagree. In the meantime we should continue towards more mutually beneficial topics." He paused for a moment, "You mention, investments... as you must know, the agricultural sector is a prime area of interest for us... tell me about that."

 

[Polesia]

Qamaruzzaman leant forward and purposefully stubbed the cigarette out in the ornate glass ash tray provided for him, a wide smile still holding the weight of his cheeks back. Villevan's reply was viewed by him as a tacit acceptance of what he had suggested and represented a minor victory for the People's Republic.

"Very well then," The Vangalan External Affairs Minister began, before signalling to the junior aide sent by the Ministry of Foreign Trade to bring the necessary document. Economic activity between Belmont and Vangala had been strangled by years of trade sanctions imposed by the staunchly anti-communist governments in Paris. Before the embargo was lifted, only a few Belmontien businesses operated in Vangala, either illegally or exploiting legal loopholes.

Qamaruzzaman removed his glasses from their case and placed them gently on the ridge of his wide, flat nose. The thick, black frame on the small rounded spectacles seemed absurd, especially when Qamaruzzman's face creased as his struggled to read. He glanced over the first few pages before handing it to Villevan.

"The Vangalan economy has more to offer than just the agricultural sector," He stated, paraphrasing a sentence from the opening paragraph.

Vangala's natural wealth and fertility had always been envied by foreign nations. The Sultans of Hajr returned from their holidays in their farflung possession with processions of slaves carrying baskets of exotic fruits. Franconian administrators proudly described their colony as the 'ricebasket of the Empire', with thousands of Vangalans toiling in paddy fields and tea estates to satisfy the edacious appetites of their masters.

"Outdated perceptions of Vangala view the country as only a leading exporter in rice, tea and fish. Yet our fastest growing industries are tourism, pharmaceuticals, shipbuilding and garments and textiles. This is where the future of foreign investors lies."