Fates For The Future

[Tarusa]

Palast der Republik, Palace of the Republic, Wien Ostmark

Prime Minister Bakhmeteff stood before those in attendance of this historical meeting within the halls of the Ostmarkian parliament. He prepared to give his welcoming speech to start off the conference.

First and foremost I would like to thank the people and government of the Republic for willingly hosting this event and making it possible. The Republic of Ostmark is a shining example of true neutrality in this world as it strives to walk the tightrope of the political arena and we are glad to have such a strong and resilient people for neighbors. Next I would like to thank all of you that have decided to attend this conference, as this conference has the capability to lead to a better future for the world by creating a new organization with a solid framework that the European Forum never had and as it was seen, failed in even the most mundane tasks that had been entrusted to it.

Before we delve into the first concepts of the frameworks of this new future organization, I would like to give a general summary of how the Emperor, myself, and others envision such an undertaking. This new organization will be a body for discussions and representation of states of the world to solve crisis, world development, and create universally accepted laws and customs. No nation will have more power in the organization by the formation of a smaller more select group of nations, similar to the European Forums elite club of Security Council, and we shall attempt to find mechanisms to prevent the rule of the mob that had essentially started the first cracks in the European Forum.

We shall discuss things such as funding the organization and the amount that should be contributed by each member state, where to locate this organization, how best to protect the integrity of this future organization and what all bodies and the rules and regulations that shall guide them. This body shall be a true site of neutrality.

I know that many here today potentially have their own gripes with what the European Forum was, what it had become, and have ideas of what they would like to see come out of this conference and ideas that will differ or even share similarity with our own. It is why this conference is not made of every nation, but the select few whom wield the greatest power in their regions and globally to increase the potential of success.

Thank you

((Yes, I skipped over the whole arrival, greetings, glamorous arrivals etc since its a repetitive thing we see plenty of, and don't need days/weeks of that to start when I am sure there will be plenty going on here))
@Ostmark @Ebria @The Federation @Thaumantica @Pelasgia

 

[Ostmark]

Chancellor Karina Berger rose from her seat, her presence poised and confident as she prepared to address the assembly gathered in the halls of the Palast der Republik. With measured words, she conveyed Ostmark's perspective and aspirations for the conference.

"Prime Minister Bakhmeteff, esteemed colleagues, I extend my gratitude to the Tarusan Empire for articulating the vision that underpins this pivotal gathering. It is indeed a testament to the spirit of diplomacy and cooperation that the Republic of Ostmark convenes here today in pursuit of a new framework for global engagement.

Ostmark stands as a testament to the values of neutrality and diplomacy, and we are honored to host this historic meeting. Your acknowledgment of our nation's commitment to balance and resilience resonates deeply with us, and we are committed to contributing constructively to the discussions ahead. We recognize the magnitude of the task before us. The need for a forum that fosters meaningful dialogue, upholds the principles of justice and equity, and navigates the complexities of a changing world has never been more pronounced.

We hope that this meeting will lead to the creation of an organization that serves as a beacon of neutrality, a platform where states can come together to address global challenges, promote development, and uphold universal values. However, it is imperative that this organization be grounded in inclusivity, ensuring the voices of all nations, regardless of size or influence, are heard and respected.

Furthermore, I believe that it is in the interest of all nations to reach comprehensive agreements to settle their disputes, so that new relations based on mutual respect and good neighborliness may rise and replace old hostilities. Let us seize this opportunity to foster an era of cooperation and understanding that transcends borders and builds bridges of peace."

 

[Thaumantica]

Present at this conference the Thaumanticans of the Communal Order were present out of respect for the Ostmarkische as well as a public posing to support a possible successor to the European Forum, so marked in prior public statements. Hank Carter and the communalists had no plan to speak unless addressed directly at the outset and would forward no plans or requests in these early stages.

 

[Josepania]

Palast Der Republik, Wien, Ostmark

A door opened in the periphery of the conference hall, just quietly enough to be unnoticeable to those paying attention to the various opening speeches going on. This naturally meant that everyone present visibly noticed the small delegation of Josepanians being ushered into the hall to take the place of who were supposed to be representatives of the Federation of Westernesse, no doubt evoking a mixture of reactions including relief, confusion, or disgruntlement, all dependent on each international delegation's views towards the Feds and the Josepanians.

The Josepanian delegation itself was relatively small, though certainly prestigious, and obviously headed by the most prestigious Josepanian of them all: El Presidente José David Costantino, dressed in his usual immaculate cream white suit contrasting nicely with his tanned skin, with the Josepanian flag pin on his lapel confirming his status as President, and an additional lapel pin on the opposite side: an ornamental, jeweled golden cross of the Knights of St. Joseph, denoting his simultaneous status as the Grand Master of that monastic order.

His presence alone denoted the seriousness of the delegation, and subtly the presence of the only other person worthy of note confirmed that seriousness: Maurizio Auditore, ex-Representative to the European Forum and now currently a Cabinet Secretary without Portfolio given Josepania's withdrawal from the European Forum. He was nowhere near as well dressed as his boss, as was tradition, but his being there meant that he could be ready to speak for El Presidente on the nuts and bolts of international organizations given his experience, which probably meant he'd be doing most of the speaking while El Presidente sat in his chair and looked pretty.

The delegation was quickly seated, and assistants present for the beginning of the meeting quickly recounted what had transcribed thus far, which fortunately wasn't too much of consequence, though the Tarusan outline of expected topics was of particular interest to ex-Representative Auditore, while the Thaumanticans being present but thus far silent was an object of interest for El Presidente.

When an opportunity presented itself, El Presidente requested the floor and spoke into the microphone. "Prime Minister Bakhmeteff, honorable representatives, on behalf of the people of the Occidental Republic of Josepania I thank you for our last-minute inclusion in this conference. It is, truly, an immense disappointment that the Federation of Westernesse chose to boycott this conference at the very last moment, for we in Josepania had faith that regardless of who was initially invited to this conference, by the end all nations would be welcome and all would be regarded as possessing an equal voice. We pray that we are up to the task of doing our part, perhaps not as a Great Power in materialistic hard power or some would argue even in influential soft power, but a power that can nonetheless speak for the oppressed, the masses exploited by the tyrants, ensuring the people have international law they can rely upon to protect their rights."

"We therefore wish to prove our seriousness of inclusion by transitioning immediately to business, for time is of the essence to ensure that we have a working international body to respond to international crises," here El Presidente noticeably paused and gave a subtle glance to both the Thaumantican and the Tarusan delegations, his meaning too challenging to miss, before he continued, "... and limit the proliferation of armed conflict between state actors. Perhaps the first topic we should discuss and agree upon is the location of this international body, as it should be relatively easy and a good springboard into further subsequent discussion. I am confident all assembled can agree that the island of Frescania is no longer acceptable given its current status, being still under temporary military occupation by some powers," that is, Tarusa, though the specific power was kept silent for now, "... and more notably is still recovering from the ecological crisis that has recently occurred there. Alternatively, it is my understanding that Ostmark itself has been often talked about as a suitably neutral site to host such a prestigious organization, and it would also be notably symbolic in it functioning as a site; A small nation, a nascent democracy, one that is recovering from a previously self-destructive regime and possessing a government of the people, by the people, and for the people."

He then looked to Chancellor Karina Berger of Ostmark to address her directly. "Therefore, I must ask before we continue: does Ostmark itself accept any sort of nomination as the host site of this new international body? If so, I am hopeful that the assembled delegations here shall either second my proposal, or provide a suitable alternative to discuss, and if the former shall vote unanimously to confirm the nomination and subsequently move this discussion on to further topics. Thank you."

The microphone was turned off and El Presidente leaned back in quiet triumph, feeling as though he had made his presence known and proved that he wasn't just going to be an unserious peacock, but someone who took sudden responsibility seriously and, therefore, by extension show that Josepania took its responsibility as a 'Good Enough Power' for lack of better words seriously. It did steal some thunder from the welcome speeches that would've otherwise been expected from the Ebrian and Pelasgian delegations, but as the Josepanian statesman emphasized, time was of the essence, and if this conference was going to be bogged down in platitudes and empty words then there was no point to it all.

 

[Pelasgia]

Exterior Secretary Theophrastos Phokas and the Pelasgian Ambassador to Ostmark, Petros Pavlides, formed the core of the Pelasgian delegation to the Wien Conference. Calm and collected, they represented the two-thousand-year-long tradition of Propontine Diplomacy, known throughout Europe for being delicate, multi-faceted, complex and, above all, non-committal. It was by being able to shift with the times that the Empire had managed to survive for nearly two millennia since the Fall of Tibur, and for about half as long since the Catholic Crusaders nearly put an end to the Propontine State.

Photiades and Pavlides were quite aware of the unease that the meeting had caused around Europe. Indeed, they themselves had found that the small selection of nations invited to the Conference would likely poison the well against its outcome a priori, even if it would likely make the workings of the Conference itself somewhat simpler. It's a good thing that I advised the Grand Secretary not to attend, Photiades wrote on a note to Pavlides upon seeing that the Federation was not represented and that the Thaumantics were remaining silent. In truth it was doubly so: for the excuse given (that the Grand Secretary had to deal with pressing matters at home) was in fact quite true, given the rising spectre of the Socialist Workers' Party on the one hand and the visit of the Queen of Angliarique on the other. He's probably wishing I was still back there, the Exterior Secretary thought to himself.

"The Pelasgian Empire thanks the Republic of Ostmark for hosting us and the Empire of Tarusa for organizing this Conference," Photiades said, once it was his turn to speak. "We hope that this meeting will form the basis for a long-lasting framework for international dialogue and relations based on the equal participation of all sovereign states in Europe, and we look forward to working with all of the distinguished delegates in attendance."

That short speech was all Pelasgia would say until the workings of the conference could play out. Propontis, as always, had no intention of committing to anything until it had had a chance to figure out what exactly it was being asked to commit to.​

 

[Ebria]

Ebria was represented by Ada Valen Fernández, the diplomat which also represented Ebria in the European Forum in Frescania. Compared to others represented by ministries of exterior or by heads of state or government, it was quite a meek delegation. She always was hostile to Kremlyov and was one of the supporters of the Tianese resolutions against the Tarusans in the previous Forum. She also was the one who worked with Juan Torrez, who presented the proposal to replace Ivanist Tarus with Konstantinist Tarusa in the Forum, which was shut down, but for her, she saw it as sowing some discontent in Tarusa, while she also hoped the Konstantinists would remember her as a supporter because of that. If there was a Forum being built, a new one, she wanted to keep it open to everyone and she wanted to keep war away from Gallo-Germania.

"Gentlemen, as much as I respect our Germanian colleagues from Wien, I would lie if I say it is a pleasure, for this conference is built upon failure. Failure of the European Forum, failure of Ebrian diplomacy, failure of Tianese diplomacy, failure of the world to act like it cares for tomorrow... and yet here we are. I will be honest, even if that might win me some enemies. It is a disappointment for me too, to see that in a conference where we build a world forum, not even all continents are here, and while I am glad to see our hermanos, los Josepaños, here, the presence of the Federation, of the Hansa and or Tianlong is noticed. I will do my best to keep them by my heart and mind and ensure that my voice and ideals covers their interests as well.

As of yet I see that we stand in unanimous accord: we want to ensure that this state of continuous tension is over and that there is a functioning body that makes sure that in the future, words will be stronger than guns. We will see if this unanimity will be upheld by the end of this conference. For me, for Ebria, for the Meridian Union and maybe I am a bit arrogant in saying that for the nations that are absent, I will say, that the goal is to ensure that first and foremost, this isn't a meeting to construct a Concert of Nations, where big players carve up the smaller ones and draw lines on the map that end up being at best spheres of influence and at worst annexations. If we want to build a forum for the world, we need to respect the sovereignty and the emancipation of the nations of the world.

We will need to look back at the previous Forum, look where it failed and somehow build it up in such a way that somehow it manages to police international relations, while also not violating the sovereignty of countries. It will be a thin line and I fear that it will also be the main element which will derail us and make it unfeasible. Recent statistics have shown that the levels of xenophobia, irredentism and chauvinism are sky high in a world where the trust between national actors is so low that every crisis just has us all take up the guns and prepare for the final showdown to end it all once and for all. We need to rebuild that trust again and I for one would propose that this new forum, besides giving a voice to everyone, it should also recognise what the flashpoints in world tensions are, and have the member nations give security guarantees for them. No Csengian would trust an Ebrian if day and night the Santiago del Campo Army would be mobilised and just stand by their borders as if they are ready to invade and are waiting for the order to do so. No Hansa citizen can sleep at night well, knowing that the Tarusans would do the same. No nation on the Gothic Sea can live if neighbouring countries just decide to transform their navy into a pirate fleet attacking the others just to disrupt whatever they can. This is no way to build trust and momentarily copying the recipe of the previous forum will just be treating a symptom, not the cause and in the end these crises become like the antibiotic resistant bacteria and will kill this new Forum too.

I will await on our Ostmarker and Tarusan hosts to present their designs on what and how they have planned this new Forum and I will comment on them. I for one, cannot come with proposals from scratch, because in the way I see the world, we need to reach an episode of detente to build this forum up and as we have stated in our communique in regards to the situation of the membership or not of the Hansa, that will happen only when the Westernesse President and the Tarusan Tsar being to see eye to eye." ​

 

[Tarusa]

"Since the idea of where to host it was the first subject brought up, while being what we had imagined being one of the last ones, we will gladly start with that.

The Empire proposes none other than the Island of Frescania to host the new organization, with changes however. The old European Forum has been vacant for some time following the evacuations from the Island. The European Forum provided a source of steady and guaranteed employment for those of the island and a source of economic activity, we do not wish to strip this away, but we do believe the old building and its tarnished reputation should not be used.

Our proposal, the island of Frescania to resume its role as the host of the international organization, with no military assets beyond its own gendarmerie. That is not the end of such a proposal, the island shall fall under the influence and protection of the Kingdom of Ebria. The citizens of Frescania will have Ebrian citizenship, and the neutrality of Frescania shall be protected by the Kingdom of Ebria. It is the nation with the closest capabilities to rapidly respond in the event of an incident and the islands historical ties to the Kingdom make it a logical choice.

In a formal format, so we do not end up having to vote for a final product, I believe the best solution will be to discuss items at a single time and then carry forward a vote when there is an agreement or enough proposals and discussion has occurred. If there is no other recommendations beyond that of Ostmark or Frescania, we can start with the first vote."

 

[Ebria]

"I am okay with that. I will vote aye!" Ada Valen said. She was a bit perplexed of the Tarusans wanting to use the infrastructure of an institution they hated so much, but still, it brought back the Frescanian into the crownlands.​

 

[Pelasgia]

The Pelasgians saw nothing wrong with using the locale of the E.F., if this institution was truly to replace it. Moreover, the quasi-annexation by Ebria proposed would avoid another embarrassing situation like the one with the Anglian fleet. No foreign military would be foolish enough to directly enter into a war with the whole Meridian Union at the very least.

"The Pelasgian Empire approves this proposal," Secretary Phokas said.

 

[Thaumantica]

“The folk of Frescania, whether remaining or evacuated, deserve a voting say in whether they wish to host this new group and certainly whether a new building should be zoned for and constructed there. We have advocated for a Democratic Revival come Easter, and encourage others to recognize Frescania’s precarious decision whether to potentially put themselves in the crosshairs as well as open themselves to the commercial and tourism benefits entailed in hosting.”

OOC: Not dying on this hill particularly, for all I care we say the vote said yes, or we roll, and actually waiting til IRL Easter is entirely unimportant to me.

 

[Ebria]

Ada Valen stopped and thought for it a bit. The Tarusan proposition might be giving Ebria a takeover of Frescania posthaste, but at the same time, the referendum could work well with the idea of Ebria's international image, respecting the will of the people and all that. As much as she felt more hawkish, she knew she had a Social Liberal government to report to and playing the emancipation card and also befriending the Thaumanticans would not look bad on her.

"Protection is one thing, part of the Ebrian nation is something else. I may have been haste but I do agree with our colleagues from the Thaumantic, that these are two different things and the latter can only come after a referendum. We will continue to support the EF in being positioned in Frescania and to show our valor we will guarantee its safety, thus positioning it under Ebrian protection. Afterwards, by Easter as our colleagues have proposed, we could make a referendum and see if the Frescanians want to be part of Ebria itself or remain into some form of island city state. To also ensure their welfare, should they choose the latter, we should prop them with free trade to make living feasible there."​

 

[Josepania]

Palast Der Republik, Wien, Ostmark

It was clear at this point where the direction of the vote was going, even if the Ostmarker delegation made the case for their own country as hosts of the new European Forum. El Presidente and ex-Representative Auditore spent a few moments conversing silently, their aides providing information as needed as each successive delegation voiced their support or at least no opposition to Frescania being the location in question. When an opportunity presented itself, ex-Representative Auditore turned on his microphone.

"Honorable colleagues, after some conversation following the apparent direction that this body is going, and observing the persuasive arguments of those in favor of Frescania, although the Josepanian people would like to see a follow-up plan on ensuring a swift ecological recovery of the area, along with ensuring the old building is renovated accordingly, and as our Honorable Colleagues of Thaumantica mentioned ensuring a referendum for the Frescanian people in the near future, we shall withdraw our advocation for Ostmark to host the revitalized European Forum, and confirm our support for the island of Frescania to be the host of the revitalized European Forum. If there are no further objections or points of order, I do believe this concludes this matter for this body?"

If nothing else, the Josepanians were going to ensure efficient, effective results from this conference.

 

[Tarusa]

"Our proposal for Frescania under the Kingdom of Ebria we would leave up to the Ebrians to handle with whether they wish to give citizenship and a path for Frescania to be officially a part of the Kingdom, it was more about ensuring the protection of the islanders for the future, so should the Ebrians wish to see more come from it they have the blessing of ourselves to pursue it under the referendum, but no matter the situation, the island of Frescania is under the protection of the Kingdom.

I would say as the Josephino delegation has, that it is an approved proposition, and in the faith of showing the Tarusan commitment to this cause I will require a moment for myself to step out into the grand hall and make a call to Kremlyov so our foreign ministry can begin coordination with the Kingdom of Ebria of the withdrawal of the Tarusan military contingent on the island for if nothing else was to be achieved here, we still would stick to this decision of unanimity."

Bakhmeteff took his moment to step to the door, not completely leaving the room, and made his call to Luka Volkov. It was brief and quick before he returned back to his position standing above his seat at the table.

"I believe we shall start our way on the building of this organization. Firstly, I believe we will need to eventually come up with a name, for we should not carry on with the tarnished reputation of the European Forum. To start fresh, we will need to give off a fresh image, but that is not a priority and is just something for the representatives here to contemplate over the duration of this meeting.

The organization will be open for all to join, an equal say for all. There shall be no security council as the late European Forum had introduced in its death spiral. The main organ of this body shall be a general assembly where every nations voice is as we stated, equal. The resolutions behind the general assembly shall be non-compulsory and shall be recommendations. It shall not trample the right of the states to decide their actions and decisions.

subsidiary branches shall be the

• International Courts
• International Health Group
• International Group of Banks

More could be added as the body would find fit over time and needs, perhaps introducing them on a temporary basis if need be. The International Courts could propose Laws of international nature to the General Assembly, or the General Assembly if it creates an international law/convention it would be the responsibility of the Court to review the law and ensures it protects the balances of the international community and the individual states. Judges would be elected from the general assembly for a term of 6 years (6 months).

The International Health Group would be responsible for monitoring the global community for diseases that pose a threat to humanity and the continued research for future threats of a pathological nature as well as funding and research to current diseases plaguing mankind.

The International Group of Banks would be several financial institutions that provide low interest rate long-term loans to developing nations, as well as nations that are facing economic crisis, amongst other potential reasons that we can determine in the times of this discussion. In our eyes, this entity could be used to give interest free loans as well in dire situations.

Finally, our proposal would be for a General Secretary. This post would not be elected but be rotational, with each nation taking the mantle of General Secretary for a year at a time. While the entire general assembly may initiate discussions on topics, it will be the duty of the General Secretary to handle the day to day affairs of operations and bring forth from the discussions any proposed resolutions. Each nation shall provide to the budget of the organization .05% of their GDP to fund it and any operations.

Now, we do not have to debate and discuss the entirety of this proposal, we can break it into sections for ease as it is a significant amount to take in."

 

[Ebria]

Ada Valen began to be a bit sceptic if this whole new European Forum, not in the sense that it might not be created, because it seems the other representatives were open to cooperate and see the Forum reborn, but what made her even smirk was that while the initial hopes were to see a stronger Forum, the project the Tarusans put forth was a weaker one that had little to no way of enforcing anything. Even so, she knew that she had to see the Forum revived and was happy that with a general secretary and with sub-institutions, it might actually be more helpful for a lot of the world's people, than what the previous one was.

"It is important for us for all nations to have a voice, be them friends or enemies, for that builds equity and will give legitimacy to the new institution as a true neutral place where every nation can come together to discuss and mediate conflicts. As much as probably knowing my history, I was a supporter of seeing the EF having some enforcement power, I must say, the idea that the resolutions are recommendations and can't force a nation to do anything is not ideal, but then again, it is not terrible either so if it makes us avoid the episodes from before, where nations would get condemned and in response they would storm off, at least I hope this will keep negotiations and mediations to be continual.

As for the subsidiary institutions, I say that they are a must. It is clear that with events such as epidemics, pandemics or all sorts of catastrophes, a neutral European Forum sponsored response from the whole world can be efficient and well coordinated, so it can respond to any issues faster than what we have had before. The creation of a series of EF banks to aid nations would be good too. I will also propose that to recognise other nations, rather than have all institutions be crowded in Frescania, have them headquartered in different places. I would recommend Ostmark for one or two of such places, maybe Tianlong or Josepania too for others.

In general I stand in support of this construct."​

 

[Josepania]

Palast Der Republik, Wien, Ostmark

El Presidente frowned as he listened to Prime Minister Bakhmeteff explain the general overview of his vision of a 'new' European Forum, specifically at the mentioning that 'The resolutions behind the general assembly shall be non-compulsory and shall be recommendations,' a notion that, to the Josepanian, brought back memories of the beginning of the Pannonian Crisis, which spiraled out of control and, arguably, led to the present day with a dead European Forum and him in Wien talking of a new one now. Ada Valen's mentioning of her own concerns with such an arrangement deepened his frown, and he had half a mind to jump in and ask, pointedly, what exactly the point of this whole new organization really was.

Ex-Representative Auditore clearly saw that look, and quickly asked for a private, hushed word with his boss. "Your Excellency, I think there's some merit to this proposal, even if it's not ideal... remember, the European Forum considered its resolutions binding, but in practice it couldn’t force states to actually follow them, which led to crisis after crisis. In contrast, this new one would by principle recognize that fact and accept it as reality for the time being. Instead, the focus would be on the general assembly discussing a topic and reaching a non-binding conclusion, which could then result in a treaty to be verified by this proposed International Court. From there we would then have those who wish to sign do so, and build up a rule of law from the ground up. It's slow, painful, and gradual... but it could work if enough nations buy in."

The Josepanian statesman stayed silent as he listened to the counsel, reluctantly nodding at some points he had to concede were valid. This was while his colleague from Ebria was also acknowledging her support for the overall concept, as well as proposing alternative headquarters for the institutions, and by the time she finished, El Presidente indicated to Auditore that he would allow for Josepanian support to keep the conference going.

Auditore acknowledged the grant with grace, and then turned on his microphone. "It is unfortunate that we must acknowledge the reality of international politics, that enforcement of international law cannot be artificial or by a select few, and that such attempts were what brought the European Forum to ruin in the first place... but acknowledge it we shall, and so we shall at this moment express our tentative support for the overall structure of this new European Forum as it is being proposed. To build off the proposal by the Honorable Representative Ada Valen, while we believe the centrality of housing the headquarters of these institutions in Frescania has its merits, there is some merit to the idea of, at the very least, regional headquarters scattered amongst nations such as Ostmark or our very own Occidental Republic as a way to ensure continuity of functions of the subsidiary institutions. It does not need to be a repeat of the Tianese attack on the Anglisarians, but even a natural disaster similar to the earthquake that tragically hit Valls, or an ocean-born storm. It would also reinforce the visual ideal of this being an organization built upon the ideal of equality amongst nations, and the sharing of responsibilities. Therefore, we would second the proposal of basing the subsidiary institutions amongst member states of this forum, and be willing to volunteer our nation as host to at least one of these institutions, even if only temporarily."

 

[Pelasgia]

Much to Phokas' surprise, the summit actually seemed to be going very well. The new EF replacement, as proposed by the Tarusans, seemed to align perfectly with the Pelasgians' idea of what the original EF should have been: a forum for global discussion of equals without binding force (a global forum, not a world parliament), with specialised agencies to assist the international community where needed in matters like aviation or health that require global expert coordination, and the option for treaties to be proposed and entered into by willing States.

"The Pelasgian Empire wholeheartedly welcomes the proposal made by our Tarusan counterparts," he said, speaking up. "In particular, we consider the principles of equality and non-coercion of the minority by the majority, as proposed, to align with our vision for what this new international organisation should be. This will ensure the longevity of the organisation and its proper function as an open place for dialogue and diplomacy, without coercing nations into either altering their foreign policy or leaving. After all, we do not aim to create a world government but a global town square."

Here, Phokas allowed his training as an international law scholar to take over. "With regard to the International Courts, we consider that perhaps it might not be ideal for them to propose legislation, as they should remain neutral, and this would instead turn them into a sort of upper house in a perfectly bicameral system. Once more, we do not intend to create a parliament. With regard to their reviewing laws proposed to the assembly, however, we consider that to be an excellent proposal. This body, made up from the best judges in Europe, could certainly do much to ensure that all proposed treaties respect international law. Furthermore, we propose that members should be free to consensually submit their disputes to the International Courts, though no member will be able to be subjected to the jurisdiction of the Courts without their consent. This, too, will be in keeping with the spirit of non-coercion."

"For the institutions of the International Health Group and the International Group of Banks, we have no opposition to voice, and we would accept them as proposed. I simply wish to note that we agree with the delegates of Ebria and Josepania in that we should try to distribute the institutions of this new organisation, if only to ensure that it does not become as centralised as the erstwhile EF."

"With regard to the General Secretary, we also agree with the post as proposed by the Tarusan delegation."​

 

[Tarusa]

"We would agree as well towards the establishment of the branches of this organization being located elsewhere, it only further establishes the facts of this being a global entity with a desire to be inclusive of all nations.

If there is nothing else to discuss on that topic, and we have came to a formal agreement on it by the many of us, should we take a vote upon the proposal to see that it does indeed carry the majority, before we can move onto another part of discussions for this organization?"

 

[Josepania]

Palast Der Republik, Wien, Ostmark

Ex-Representative Auditore switched on his microphone and replied, "I believe the only remaining topic of discussion in this current proposal would be the actual role of the International Courts, where Prime Minister Bakhmeteff mentioned two possible functions of this institution: to propose laws of international nature to the General Assembly, or to review laws or conventions created by the General Assembly and ensure it protects the balance of the international community and the individual nations. As the Honorable Representative Phokas of @Pelasgia indicated, their preference is towards the latter option, and we in Josepania would agree with this preference. If Prime Minister Bakhmeteff also agrees, then we would second the call to a vote on this proposal package."

 

[Pelasgia]

"We thank His Excellency Mr. Auditore for his support for our position on the judicial issue," Phokas noted. "Similarly, if the Tarusan delegation and the other delegations are open to this modification to limit the International Courts to a posterior review role, we, too, would be in favour of moving forward with a voting procedure."​

 

[Tarusa]

We are acceptable to this. As such, the Empire of Tarusa casts its vote in favor of the amended proposal.