EDF Heads of State and Government Meeting March 2011: Syracuse, Nicosia

[Großlausitz]

Syracuse
Kingdom of Nicosia

It was only the second or third time Nicosia was invited to host the alliance council of the European Defence Federation. It wasn’t so much due to their qualms with the larger EDF members building air and naval bases on their small island state. Catering the delegations of almost a dozen leaders was relatively expensive, especially for a nation of Nicosia’s size. Nonetheless, the Nicosians had done their very best and successfully prepared the ground for the EDF top brass’ three day long stay in their capital of Syracuse. The conference itself would take place at the kingdom’s national parliament, whilst the delegations were split two à piece via the capitals’ various top-notch hotels and/or their own embassies. Because Franken’s diplomatic mission was too small to entertain Ministerpräsident Graf Peter Solms and his delegation, they took a whole floor at the local Conrad Luxury Hotel.

The Franconians had arrived a few hours before the state banquet King Alexander IV would treat his high-ranking guests tonight. The next morning they would kick off the summit. Only in the afternoon of the third day a press conference was scheduled. Of course the outer rims of the security belt would be crowded with tv and press teams nonetheless. Graf Solms was glad the Nicosian security forces were assisted by the neighbouring Eiffellander and Lorrainese security services to ensure a safe and private meeting. Left to their own devices, Nicosian police would be given a run for their money by anti-EDF spooks, pesky press people and many more annoying guys.

The meeting’s agenda was broad and large. It had been carefully discussed by the EDF nations’ envoys beforehand.

1. Defence Outlook 2011: Partnerships in defense and defense projects
2. Troublesome nations: Solaren, Trans-Nineveh
3. Economic and monetary policies
4. Economic zone discussion for the EDF
5. International development goals
6. Environmental protection: signing a preliminary treaty
7. Education discussion
8. Formal welcome for Akwesasne, opportunity to introduce any issues by Akwesasne

By convention the opening statements were made by the leader of the respective host nation.
​

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

Alexander IV was probably the furthest thing from the picture one had when they thought of a king. Overweight and double chinned, it could be said he was indeed 'fat'. In his younger years he had been in decent shape but since he had let himself go. He looked through his thick glasses that sat on his bulbous nose at the heads of state gathered around him. This was his first meeting with most of these men. The small hall of the Grandelo Formum was filled with some of the world's most powerful men. Alexander felt truly humbled but knew he had to preform at his greatest level. As assistants from his staff handed out a folder to each representative or leader, Alexander took to the central podium.

"Distinguished guests, thank you for visiting Syracuse. We are honored to have such an esteemed group visit small Nicosia. At times, our nations have had our differences and our joys, but today we gather for one reason. The future. Our agenda for this meeting of friends reflects our concerns for the future. This is not about who here has opened doors in the past. This meeting, this meeting is about discussing what doors to open and how we open those doors for our citizens and for their children. So, we together must look at what we have in common and lock our similarities and differences together, like pieces of a puzzle. Maybe that is what makes the EDF a strong alliance. Nicosia, small and comparatively poor, welcomed as an equal by members of the alliance. That is why the EDF has strength. For the most part, we refuse to judge simply on the model of government if it be monarchy, communist, a democracy...we care not. Nations that share the vision of brotherhood and the vision of a brighter Europe join the EDF, to find themselves accepted. An odd word dont you think? In this world of turmoil and nations thumping their chests, where is acceptance? Here. It is here in this room. We have much ground to cover in the coming days. As you can see, we have a rather busy schedule. So without further adieu, let us begin. The structure is simple- You stand to speak and the next person to stand may speak. I feel as the host I could facilitate as chairman but I feel that it would be more beneficial to simply act civil. Our first topic is the Defence Outlook for 2011. Are there any speakers?"

 

[Großlausitz]

Grandelo Forum
Syracuse
Kingdom of Nicosia

“Well, it seems the Nicosian speech writers are worth their money,” Johann Paul Stephanson, Head of the State Chancellery and Minister for Special Affairs, joked quietly. The Ministerpresident, who was sitting left to his chief of staff, couldn’t help but smirk himself. Although being a dashing and attractive head of state was much more aesthetically pleasant, Graf Solms wasn’t put off by King Alexander’s figure. Not everyone could be a supermodel and run a country successfully.

With those thoughts in mind, Graf Solms addressed the assembly of leader himself. “Your Majesty, thank you for your kind and cordial words of welcome. Dear colleagues, I’m delighted to meet you here in good health and good mood. Let’s get the ball rolling, eh? To help me get Franken’s contribution across to you in an efficient way, I’ve brought along a few digital slides.”

• General state of Franken’s military, the Königliche Streitkräfte: Its total men power accumulates to 280k professional service, who are supplemented by 20k conscripts per year.

“These numbers may vary in the future, depending on how birth rates develop and on our recruitment success in the middle and long run. As of now they’re relatively stable.”

• General defence policy: Domestically there’s a focus on securing the borders with Kryobaijan and Oelar.
• The borders to our allies are safeguarded by police forces mainly.
• Abroad the Königliche Marine enjoy port access agreements with a range of neutral and/or friendly states, e.g. Vangala and Hajr.

“Due to the unique geographical situation this domestic defence policy is supplemented by our foreign policy preventing Oelar and the other marine abutters of ours from being too Anti-Franconian. (1) Abroad we would like to look into relocating Royal Army units into Lorraine and/or a small naval squadron into Nicosia. The squadron’s mother fleet would be placed in Eiffelland or Lorraine. I’ll discuss this more broadly under the item dealing with Trans-Niniveh and Solaren.”

• Research and development: Royal Navy, VFS Shipbuilding and Königliche Waffenmanufaktur are in the early stages of improving the anti-air and anti-sub capabilities of currently available VFS frigates.
• In the long run this will lead to the development of a new frigate type.
• Introduction of Battenberg MBT: In the Royal Army the introduction of the modern MBT manufactured by Pegnitz Rüstung&Verteidigung was concluded by March 1st.

“Do you have any questions, dear colleagues?”

(1) Under the premise Würzburg is still squeezed into that lengthy bay.

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

The King was quite impressed with the presentation. He finished taking notes before looking round to his colleagues. He stood slowly, seeing that there were no immediate questions. "The Kingdom of Nicosia does not wish to insult our allies, but in all due respect we must continue to protest the idea of bases of any kind in Nicosia. There are many reasons for this. While economically, Nicosia would greatly benefit, it would also greatly burden our nation in many ways. First, the addition of say 25,000 troops would be a huge strain on the community. Our population is small. Our infrastructure, small. So you may ask why not place a few thousand troops in Nicosia? Well, simply put, either way puts a target on our back. While we have no doubt our allies will come to our defense, by the time they are mobilized, tiny Nicosia may be overrun. We will accept a small naval contingent, but we cannot accept a full military base" said the King sternly.

"Now, as far as our military readiness goes, we are fully prepared to support any EDF operation as e have in the past. We will support operations as best as we can by providing rear support, POW operations, and medical support. Of course, we will be able to contribute combat troops as well. However, our economic position is such that transporting our troops to and from combat zones will be difficult. It will take time. Until then, we will do our best to accommodate the needs of the alliance"

 

[Rheinbund]

OOC: Grumble. Now my Chancellor is in Akwesasne. You will have to do it with my Defence Minister. Short post now. More to follow.

IC: Minister for Defence Daniel Wolzow looked at the slides from Prime Minister Graf Solms. He had continuously taken notes. This meeting had been talked over in the Government, so Wolzow knew what to do. Because Von Seydewitz had other obligations and the only Vice-Chancellor Rudolph Kögler was not allowed to leave the country when the Chancellor was abroad, Wolzow himself had been sent to this meeting with the rank of Vice-Chancellor.

 

[Anglyn]

Syracuse
Kingdom of Nicosia

Normally, it would be Prime Minister Swann that would be the head of Anglyn's delegation to the EDF Conference, and though he is in attendance and the one to rise first, on this occasion it is the man that is sitting next to him and who Swann stands and introduces is the this year's head of delegation.

"Your Majesty. Ladies and gentlemen. His Royal Highness, The Prince Regent."

Cedrick, Prince of Wessex, heir to the throne of Anglyn and as Prince Regent, he is now also Head of State. Stand to address those present he addresses his host first.

"Your Majesty. On behalf of my father, King Roderick the fourth, and the Kingdom of Anglyn, I thank you for hosting this important conference in your beautiful island and I hope to enjoy the pleasures of you lovely city during this visit."

Now turning his attention to the matter at hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen. As a founding member of the European Defence Federation, Anglyn has always taken its responsibilities very seriously and I promise you, will continue to do so in the future and fulfill its obligations in all areas. As I am not known for my long-winded and flowery speeches, I will summerize Anglyn's defence outlook. Let me begin first with the Royal Navy. With the addition of the aicraft carrier King Alfred I, the replacing of one of an older SSBN with a new Posiedon class ballistic missile submarine as well as the soon to be commissioned guided missile submarine, the planned increase in numbers of transports to the fleet, and the upgrading of the ASW capablities of the surface and Naval Air Arm including the upgrading of the SOSUS network, His Majesty's Royal Navy will be even better equiped to carry out those duties assigned it. These duties will also included closer work with our regional EDF allies of Guiana, Aquitania, Radilo and Akwesasne as well as coordinating operations with rest of the EDF as a whole."

"Second, the Royal Air Force. Though there is no plans to expand it, except perhaps in the Air Transport Command, there will be continued updating of the air defence network which includes the early warning system as well as the surface-to-air weapons systems and intend to have it fully intergrating into at least the regional system by end of year."

"As for the Anglysh Army, there will not see an substantial increase in its size, though there will be likely some reorganization, troop and armour numbers will maintain present levels."

"More detailed information will be provided to you by my staff, if so desired. Thank you."

 

[Guiana]

Harcourt Fenton Mudd sits quietly and listens to the EDF speakers while shuffling through his notes, making sure everything is in order. Guiana has always been maintained is military ability to support its larger allies, and though he served in the merchant marine, he has never served in the military. Though his staff has briefed him, and it is his job to now brief his colleagues on Guiana's readiness, he is tempted to just turn it over to his aides and continue to sit quietly. For the time being at least, he will pariently wait his turn.

 

[Großlausitz]

Grandelo Forum
Syracuse
Kingdom of Nicosia

“Your Royal Highness –“, Ministerpresident Graf Solms addressed the Prince Regent of Anglyn, “– your country’s role is very important in our eyes. Whereas the world may think Franken is tantamount to the EDF as a whole we do know better: Without trustworthy and strong allies such as Anglyn our role would be confined to that of a mere regional player. Therefore, I would like to stress Franken’s interest in further integrating our defence systems. Will we be able to create a multi-national force to facilitate ad-hoc interventions? What we don’t want is a total integration of our defence forces, which would in turn require a certain amount of political integration. The core of our alliance, however, shall remain military-driven despite the array of economic, cultural and legal supplement treaties.”

“In regards of your comments, sire -”, he told King Alexander IV, “- thank you for openly addressing your worries and concerns. They will be a useful guideline for subsequent talks between experts of the involved parties’ defence ministries. If you allow me one last observation on this particular issue, I’d say we should also take the positive economic aspects of any new military base into account. It could be tantamount to the economic effects of an international loan.”
​

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

"We sir have taken economic factors into account. While we understand that it could have significant economic impact, we also must realize that we must be careful not to grow reliant on such a base as a key part of the economy. This is not a short term aim for the EDF to have a base in Nicosia. This is something that could potentially last 50 years or even longer. I cannot give the consent of a people who do not wish it to be. One day perhaps, but that day is not now"

 

[Rheinbund]

OOC: On second thought, let’s presume that another minister is currently taking the shots in Eiffelland, while both the Vice-Chancellor and the Minister for Defence are here. And if Akwesasne agrees that our summit takes place on a different point of time than this gathering, the Chancellor will be lying in bed with an enormous flu.

IC:

“I understand your problem, Your Majesty,” Vice-Chancellor Kögler said. “We will have to think up something else then to care of Nicosia’s security. In any case, an invasion will almost never take place out of the blue. Before a country is invaded, there will always be a period in which the international tensions will rise. An unexpected war like the one between Belmont and Coronado is an exception. When tensions between Nicosia or the EDF and other countries go up, we can always prepare ourselves by increasing our naval presence in the Long Sea and having a group of soldiers and equipment ready for take-off in case a war breaks out. Such an action would become easier by the way when some equipment is already present in Nicosia, because then we would only need to transport the people.”

“I can add to this,” Minister for Defence Wolzow said, “that Eiffelland has enough equipment to take care of this. Of course our ports are open for fleets from our allies, and it also possible to use Eiffelland as home-base for fleets from our allies. We can also deploy land troops to Lorraine, but indeed maybe we should discuss that when Trans-Niniveh and Solaren are on the agenda.”

 

[Montelimar]

"Your Majesty", Prime Minister Henri Arquette, Marquis de Mezinac says to the Nicosian king, "Nicosia has been a key to Montelimar's economic security as much as it is militarily. Its strategic location in the Long Sea provides a measure of insurance that the trade routes can be kept open, especially considering what nations border that sea, and it will be even more so in the foreseeable future. Because of certain events that have caused some economic downturns in Gallia, Montelimar's defence budget has been reevaluated and it has been found that it will not sufficient for the planned naval expansions. Though there will be no cutbacks, it will be frozen at current levels which will make the maintaining of proper defence structure in Nicosia as paramount to Montelimar's defence policy as it is your own."

 

[Akwesasne]

OOC: So so sorry for the absence. Check absence thread, family matters and such...
Anyway, I'll have to read this over and make my statements, finally.

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

The King turned to Prime Minister Arquette and quietly evaluated his counterpart. He jotted a few notes before rising. "While we understand the importance of long sea security, we are also under budgetary constraints. Nicosia is a small country, not a power in most viewpoints. We can do our best to work with our allies who are also on the Long Sea to ensure security but we cannot promise a vast fleet. Our ports are open to all, especially the friends of Nicosia. We would be perhaps open to a squadron of ships being posted in Nicosia. This would take time and discussion. The Royal Navy mainly consists of 2 destroyers of fairly low sophistication and 4 modern corvettes. Despite the destroyers being scheduled for retirement in 2013, we are confident that we can handle peacetime naval security in our region. We remind our friends that Eiffelland and Lorraine are also EDF nations on the Long Sea with far more capable forces"

 

[Anglyn]

"Your Majesty", Prince Cedrick once again addressed the Nicosian king, "is it your desire to have additional forces from the EDF be deployed on Nicosia, or is it additional equipment provided to your own armed forces, or both? In any of those circumstances, I am sure Anglyn can be accommodating."

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

"Please understand dear friends that Nicosia is a small and relatively peaceful land. Since our joining, we have always supported EDF operations to the fullest of our natural ability. If the EDF wants a handful of ships in Nicosia we may accept but we cannot and will not allow the permanent stationing of troops in Nicosia. It is the will of the people to which every smart monarch must bow. Now, that being said out officers need training. Our NCO's need experience. We need a cohesive exchange program"

 

[Anglyn]

"All that can easily be arranged. Eligable Nicosian officer candidates can be accepted into Anglysh academies, while qualified enlisted personnel can be admitted into NCO training schools or Anglyn instructors be assigned to Nicosian military schools."

 

[Lorraine]

Lorraine's First Minister, Francois Joseph de Choiseul, duc de Choiseul had sat quietly but when the Nicosian king had mentioned Lorraine's capabilities, he needed to speak up.

"Your Majesty, if Nicosia is important to Montelimar's economic and military security, it is even more important to Lorraine. That being so, on behalf of His Majesty's Navy, I would like to take you up on the offer and and request permission to station a naval squadron in Nicosia."

Now speaking to all present.

"As Nicosia is now, Lorraine has been on the frontlines where Solaren is concerned and when it comes to our defence planning, it is always with them in mind. We had hoped that with a new leader a less belligerant Solaren would be the result, but it turns out we were wrong. So, it is King Charles' hope that Lorraine and Nicosia can work closely within the parameters you have stated to inhanse the security of both our nations."

 

[Aquitania]

"Though I know it will be Your Majesty who is to decide how and who shall defend his kingdom, I wish to assure you and your people that His Catholic Highness, Grand Duke Jean III, as Sovereign Grand Master of the Order of the Templers, that he and his Knights stand ready to honor the centuries old oath to defend the island of Nicosia and its people."

It was a short and to the point statement, a statement that the Prime Minister of Aquitania, Abbé François de Montesquiou knows the irony in it. A Templar Grand Master who is honorbound to reaffirm and live by an oath given centuries ago by long dead Templar Grand Master, to now defend a kingdom from Templars that long ago betrayed their oaths and their church to follow heretical leaders that have proven time and time again, have no honor.

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

Two aides came in once again and slipped the King a sheet of paper. They had come in quietly a few times, but this time they seemed more urgent. He stood, "Ladies and gentlemen, I will leave you with Vice Chancellor Giuseppe Fracseko. Dearest apologies".

 

[Radilo]

"I do not think that any permanent station would be necessary from our ships. What might be better would be to have them move from port to port on a rotating basis, but just in a more cohesive and organized fashion." D'Anise chimed in.

"Regarding the increasingly difficult situation in Solaris, it might be necessary to take this sort of action sooner rather than later."