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Rise of the Long Sea Authority

Touzen

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“All the world has gathered under the auspices of the invincible leadership of the great President, titanic champion for democracy and independence. His wisdom and integrity of character are widely recognized across the world in all countries, as is evidenced by the world community having petitioned our proud Independent Democratic Republic of Kashtan to host these important talks that are to secure peace. The IDRK continues to play a central role in the affairs...”

The lady was careful to stay on the left side of the state TV camera pointed at her to keep the massive seashell-clad statue of the President in frame as the foreign dignitaries shuffled by through the courtyard of the Yellow Rock Castle. Rising on a plateau of the Arakan mountain massive in the center of the Central Touyouan country, it has for several hundreds of years been the seat of the power of a changing succession of warlords. With its sandstone exterior, parts of it merged directly into the rocks around it, and the more recent addition of the statue of the country’s leader only namelessly venerated as “The President”, it was one of the places of prestige in the secluded republic. While it was dwarfed by the massive Hall of the Supreme Idea in the country’s capital of Shigö, more larger than life shrine to the political system than seat of government, it carried with itself the gravitas of history befitting of the summit that was to occur here.

Delegation after delegation proceeded to pass the cameras, busy capturing images of recognizable foreign politicians passing by the statue of the President towering over, pictures that would make excellent material for state propaganda later on. While Shinkyô may have had insisted on Kashtan playing host to the procedures that would formalize the new state of affairs Dictator Hayabusa had enforced in the Long Sea by being ready to kill thousands over a single Pohjanmaan ship, the Kashtanese leadership was not about to let an opportunity to present itself as a paragon of international diplomacy to its own people go to waste. Positive pictures were particularly called for after the disaster that had been the last international summit the country had hosted that had failed after what had been perceived to be an Elben backstab, a backstab for which many of the proud entrenched elite still longed to get payback for. A backstab that certainly didn’t help the Tiburan Catholic political prisoners rotting in Kashtanese dungeons to secure their release anytime sooner.

“We are gathered here today to permanently resolve the issues that have plagued the Long Sea region. It has become obvious to all of us that the lifeline that is the Long Sea is also the thin red line that, if crossed the wrong way, could incite the flames of war. Reckless acts have been committed. Justice has been demanded. It speaks to the integrity of those that have come here today that they wish to appear to make an earnest effort at securing a peace that they too, perhaps, have taken for granted. Our role here today, then, will be to convert this declaration of intent into a conclusive action of settlement.”

The international group has withdrawn to the conference floor on the top of the castle towering over the vast arid crater below, but not before some photo opportunities with Kashtanese gerontocracy for a carefully selected crowd of journalists that had not yet been banned from Kashtan. Dictator Hayabusa has risen from his seat at the head of the table, the sign with his name in golden letter placed on the table in front of his sea introducing a man that needed no introduction. He was donning the blue uniform of Strategic Sky Command, as much a reminder of the power that propping up his overlordship over the Anti-State as a promise of violent determination regarding the Long Sea calamity. Hayabusa as a man of Touyouan heritage was in many ways more humble in stature than the others who were in attendance, even his own northern allies uncomfortably challenged him in size. Yet, if only for a moment, he towered over the gathered international clique.

The Aurarine representative was situated at the far end of the table, opposite to Hayabusa who was flanked to the left by the Pohjanmaan attendee. Between them, the various Long Sea nations that had opted to attend were placed. The table, Hayabusa noticed not without appreciation for the attention to detail of their Kashtanese hosts, was from the left to the right side a perfect representation of the relative geographic location of the (anti-)states in attendance.

“Now, preceding diplomatic communiques have already established the basic premise under which we hope to operate here today, and matters of independent investigation and compensation will be handled between those involved in privacy upon the conclusion of our summit. The most pressing issue however is to prevent such claims and investigations from becoming necessary again in the future in the first place, which is why we have gathered here today to create for ourselves a framework that will prevent such unfortunate events from reoccurring in the Long Sea. I am of course talking about the Long Sea Authority.”

The Touzen leader gestured towards red envelopes laid out in front of those in attendance.

“These are the suggestions I have been tasked to present by the councils of the millions in the Anti-State. If you would, please take some moments to go over them so we can discuss the details of our future collective Authority and incorporate the suggestions that those at this table might have for further improvements.”



MEMORANDUM REGARDING THE CREATION OF THE LONG SEA AUTHORITY

The LONG SEA AUTHORITY is to be the collective administration of the Long Sea by those political entities that are directly situated alongside the body of water as well as those actors that have a vital stake in its security as a raisin d’être. It aims to comprehensively address the issue of single states or groups of states claiming control over the body, and to secure the free movement of commerce and other vessels through the Long Sea into the Thaumantic Ocean and Silk Sea.

- The Long Sea Authority is to be run as a Commission of the representatives of the entities constituting it
- The LSA is neutral in the sense that it is not committed to any specific ideology or power bloc, but seeks to protect peace and freedom of movement in Europe’s most important body of water
- The LSA is committed to rejecting any claims of hegemony or authority outside of the collective, multipolar, agreed upon authority that it represents to the Long Sea
- The LSA respects and makes no claims about the territorial waters of any Long Sea states, as long as these claims do not infringe the LSA-guaranteed international extraterritorial vector guaranteeing free movement throughout the whole of the Long Sea
- The LSA is to have a permanent Commission of representatives of its members to govern matters pertaining to the mandate of the LSA
- The LSA will create a permanent defense consultation organ that will formulate collective responses to individual and state actors seeking to upset the aims of the Authority
- For this purpose, we suggest the creation of a task force of all members, with docking and refueling coordinated among the members. The Anti-State is willing to open up its Long Sea facilities to LSA members for the facilitation of this policy
 

Pelasgia

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Throne Council of
Secretariat of External Affairs

ΑΣ 2378/2019 | Δημόσιον | Κανονικόν
Propontis, 22 June 2019

To whom it may concern,

The Pelasgian Empire finds it hard to see how the self-proclaimed "Long Sea Authority" could ever claim to speak for the nations of the Long Sea or the region as a whole. The organisation in question was born out of the illegitimate and even violent interference of entities and powers wholly external to the Long Sea in its internal affairs, and enforced upon a few of the Long Sea's nations by the said powers through force of arms.

Our Empire was never consulted on this matter, and never consented to the Authority's creation, despite being the oldest, largest and arguably most influential of the Long Sea region's powers. The very fact that the announcement of this organisation's creation was made by Dictator Hayabusa, hardly a native of the Long Sea region and the leader of a faraway power culturally, politically and geographically outside the Long Sea, is indicative of just how illegitimate this organisation is in claiming to speak for our region.


As it currently stands, this organisation can never be recognised as anything but a blatant attempt by the Post-Delegationist Bloc to gain a foothold in the Long Sea. It is beyond us why the Post-Delegationists should even have bases or a presence, outside of commercial shipments and civilian passage, in the Long Sea in the first place. Alas, we cannot, in good conscience, and as such do not recognise this so-called "Long Sea Authority" as having the right to speak for us or our region, or to make rules for our region's functioning.

We were never consulted on the creation of this body, and even if we had been, I doubt we would have ever agreed to its current constitution.

Signed and sealed,

Emmanouīl Avgīros
Secretary of External Affairs
Knight of the Order of Saint Andrew
Senator ex officio
 

Ostmark

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KANZLERAMT DER VOLKSREPUBLIK OSTMARK

The People's Republic of Ostmark echoes the statements of the Secretariat of External Affairs of the Pelasgian Empire and categorically refuses to accept the role of this self-proclaimed "Long Sea Authority" as long as it is presided and promoted by those responsible for the latest escalations and piracy acts, and exhorts all Long Sea nations to reject the intromission of foreign, hostile forces in the affairs and the dynamics of the region.

The stateless entities of the Far North and the Far East, the first and only promoters of piracy in the Long Sea, are now presenting themselves as the saviors and the mediators for the escalations their pirate vessels have ignited in the first place. One would never entrust an arsonist with providing fire and rescue services in his town, and for the same reason the People's Republic of Ostmark will never recognize the role of pirate, stateless navies as a "police force" of the waters they are infesting.

The national waters of the People's Republic of Ostmark are closed to any non-trade vessels belonging to either the stateless entities of the Far North and the Far East, or any nation that will recognize the role of the Long Sea Authority. Let it be known that the
Volksmarine will always defend the national sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of the People's Republic of Ostmark, whatever it takes.

For the Protection of Workers' and Farmers' Power,
Office of the Chancellorship
People's Republic of Ostmark
 

Rheinbund

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Chancellor Rheinfeld was aware of the objections the governments of Ostmark and Pelasgia had. He did agree with one of the objections those governments had: It were indeed submarines of the two Anti-States who caused the conflict. Given the ties Eiffelland-Retalia had with both countries, Rheinfeld felt a loyalty towards them.

On the other hand, he did realise that the Long Sea was not just a sea that bordered a couple of countries; it was a very busy trade route, used by a lot more countries than the ones bordering it. From that point of view, Hayabusa was right.

Something else played a role as well: Serenierre and Kadikistan. Kadikistan hadn't paid any attention to the outside world when it was dealing with its internal problems, but Serenierre had been on a permanent mission to humiliate, discredit and thwart Eiffelland-Retalia in all means possible. And now that Kadikistan looked outside its borders again, the situation had become difficult again.
The Pelasgian government did not see the dangers of Serenierre and Kadikistan to Gallo-Germania. Lars, Eiffelland-Retalia, Crotobaltislavonia and Bourgogne were in a difficult position. Lars, Eiffelland-Retalia and Bourgogne would be able to hold off Serenierre, but would not be able to hold of Serenierre and Kadikistan. Furthermore, Eiffelland-Retalia would never be able to fully go against one of them, because an attack in the back by the other one was always an option.
Lars and Eiffelland-Retalia needed an ally. Rheinfeld did not want to offend Pelasgia and Ostmark, but if Pelasgia would not commit to securing Eiffelland-Retalia in the case of a war against either Serenierre or Kadikistan (or both), Eiffelland-Retalia had to look at other countries. Either the Engellkin, or the Post-Delegationists.

"Your Excellency, I want to point at a spelling mistake: 'Raisin d'être' must be 'Raison d'être'," Rheinfeld said. He didn't want to make any more statements. He knew that back in Trier Minister of Foreign Affairs Gianluigi di Gravesano-Carone had invited the ambassador of @Pelasgia for a lunch, so that he could make the situation of Eiffelland-Retalia regarding Kadikistan and Serenierre clear. Minister Di Gravesano-Carone would especially make clear that Eiffelland-Retalia needed an ally.
 

Kadikistani Union

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People's Commissariat for External Affairs
People's Federal Socialist Republic of Kadikistan

While having no territories nor territorial waters in the Long Sea it is of paramount importance to the Kadikistani Union that the vital trade routes in the area are undisturbed. Indeed the Long Sea routes being one of the main arteries for commerce in Gallia and Northern Himyar, but also to the nations that border the Hamar Sea. The Kadikistani Union stands by its friends in the Pelasgian Empire and the People's Republic of Ostmark and share their respective sentiment. As our wise friends from Ostmark already stated with a typical proletarian poetry "One would never entrust an arsonist with providing fire and rescue services in his town". The arrogance with which an external power seeks to establish itself way beyond its borders is applauded only by those who fear their own lack of strength. As always the Kadikistani Union positions itself on the side of order and stability, to maintain the balance of power. We will actively work to assure this with our regional partners.

This self-proclaimed Long Sea Authority will go unrecognised and ignored by the People's Federal Socialist Republic of Kadikistan. Any interference of this external entity in maritime trade or aggressive posturing towards allies of the Union will be met with a decisive response.

For the All-Union,
Petar Kujundzic
People's Commissar for External Affairs
 

Záhorie

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Chancellor Wilhelm Beck had spend 42 years in the Order of St. Basil. He now served as one of the most senior administrators for Nicosia's government. His agenda was two-fold. First, secure an agreement to further protect the Long Sea and thus Nicosia. And second, intervene on behalf of the Catholic prisoners. He had been to Shigö before and found the architecture too bold. However, his companion and representative to the National Assembly, Jose Pace was in awe. Pace was a man, who like many, disliked the Knights overlordship. He understood the benefits to them but the simmering nationalism was too strong. This issue was different. It was a confluence of interests. Pace understood the need for Nicosia to have secure shipping to survive.

Pace leaned to Beck and whispered- "These terms of establishment seem reasonable". Beck nodded but held up a hand. "We will see. We are but minor voices here. We shall see" responded Beck in a low tone. Pace's eyebrow rose as he saw Beck scribbling notes furiously in the margins. "Why Latin?" Pace whispered in regard to the notes. Beck paused his note writing and sighed. "One must keep up practice" Beck said, resuming his writing. Pace nodded slowly. "There's a lot to unpack here" Pace said quietly. Beck stopped writing and put down his pen. He turned fully in his chair. "Mr. Pace. An old saying says that we have 2 ears and 1 mouth. We would therefore listen twice as much as we speak" Beck whispered. He stared at Pace for a moment, turned his body and began to take notes again.
 

Hanseatic Republics

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There had been a great deal of discussion prior to this meeting among many within President Lepomäki’s entourage. The terms disclosed has been fairly common knowledge to the Commonwealth. At least nothing surprised the delegation in the slight. It was an important meeting with heads of government all in Kashtan to figure out how to solve the problems within the Loong Sea. There was a clear problem for the Pohjanmaans though. What was the Loong Sea Authority worth if so many nations worked so hard to circumvent it. Thus far already the Pelasgians, Ostmarkians, and Kadikistanis had very publicly denounced the Loong Sea Authority. Notable was the fact that each one was in no position to enforce peace in the Loong Sea. Additionally, none of them had decided to help the Aurarian Government during their stand off. In fact the Aurarian and Serenien Governments had been quiet throughout this entire process. The question remained if any of the three objectors to the LSA would shed their own blood for the Aurarians. The likelihood of this happening was near nil. That’s why the LSA meeting was agreed to in the first place. That said, President Lepomäki did not trust the others in attendance. They’d all just as soon sink the entire Free Navy and annex Pohjanmaa if they could. Nobody liked the post delegationist faction of nations, and it was unlikely that any of them would suddenly start. There was a certain voodoo fear of post delegationism that the President never understood. This idea that the end of government was a certainty in the future spooked many foreign governments, and that these foreign so-called democracies would fight against it should morally shake the citizens of those democracies.

Instead, we live in a world of perpetual dictatorship... perpetual designs of control.

Lepomäki herself did not really entirely believe in the post delegationist finality. Nothing she has seen in this world really confirmed a future where delegation would end. She believed that the Founders had also seen this, and instead the Founders came to post delegationism as a means towards the best system of governance. Funny in that respect, that ideas of post delegationism in itself would lead to the best form of delegation. Clearly not everyone believed in this sort of pragmatism though. Many former Presidents of Pohjanmaa had believed in post delegationism genuinely. She instead believed in it theoretically, but not in practice. Her usage of Pohjanmaa’s military forces confirmed this in her mind. She wanted to help friendly foreign governments expand their power in so that post delegationism might have a future. A small campaign in Loago was a test run that met mixed results. The campaign in the Loong Sea was something else entirely. A major theatre at play that was symbolically the most important water way in the world. The main stream in which the vast majority of commerce had to travel. This included the connection between Pohjanmaa and the Anti-State. Shipping could go the opposite direction around the world, and friendlier governments on the surface did exist in that direction, but the route was slightly longer.

Currently, Pohjanmaan assets in the Loong Sea were fairly large for its size. Work was constantly being done via propaganda and foodstuffs to get a foothold in East Occitania. The Pirate Radio idea was popular, and the food they smuggled into the country with Pohjanmaan literature and religion they hoped was effective. On top of this, Pohjanmaa’s submarines often would sortie into the Loong Sea still. They had no missions other than maintaining a presence. Surface vessels were also moving about the Loong Sea. Not as part of any fleet, but as mostly as lone ships. They wanted to make their presence commonly seen rather something threatening. Threats were accomplished below the waves.

Thus far the conference had been non-confrontational. She did have goals though. Since the Aurarian Crisis, she had positioned Haaga as friendly with the Grand Duchy in Lars and Eiffelland-Retalia. She wanted to make sure both those nations would be able to push back any joint Gallian threat from Serenierre and Auraria which were now aligned in tandem with Friuli and possibly some collection of whatever the Northern Frankish states would come out of their conflict. Having Gallia united as such was a threat to Germania, especially since those who had opted out of this conference could not be trusted to aid Germania either. Post delegationist forces entering the region was exactly what some blocs did not want. It upset a balance of power which increasingly looked to be threatening to Germania.

President Lepomäki still had not spoken. She wanted to keep quiet. To be seen, not to be heard. It helped keep Pohjanmaa mysterious in her own mind. Quite contrary to her naval doctrine, which was about being neither seen nor heard, just ruthlessly effective. She decided regardless she would have to rock the boat by asking a question. “Others in attendance... do you not worry about the outcry of many nations who which to thwart our peace in the Loong Sea? It would seem that those who have spoken against this Authority, wish to see post delegationism and Gallia go to war. Does their insistence on this Authority not being recognized not represent their own urges to dominate those of us here in attendance? How might our Authority be able to handle these sorts of challenges? How might we together enforce peace while they work against it?”

She did not give the others recognition of delegates. It felt awkward to recognize other delegationists, and she could not call them all friends either.
 

Rheinbund

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Chancellor Rheinfeld agreed with President Lepomäki about the wish to dominate in the case of Kadikistan, but not in the case of Pelasgia and Ostmark. Those countries felt threatened. But how to say that?

Eiffelland-Retalia was not hostile towards post-delegationism. It considered it a system that was unable to work as intended, but at least an attempt to achieve a situation in which as many people as possible had a good life.

"To be very honest, I think that the only thing we can do to take away the resistance against the Long Sea Authority is negotiate-negotiate-negotiate, talk-talk-talk. Make Pelasgia and Ostmark clear that they can have an equal say in it if they join, and make clear that the Long Sea Authority is meant to be a vehicle of cooperation between all Long Sea nations, not a vehicle against some of them. Sometimes things cannot go as fast as we want them to go. I think we have to be careful with placing Pelasgia and Ostmark before accomplished facts," he said.

Meanwhile, he wrote a paper note to President Hayabusa and President Lepomäki: "I need to make you aware of the fact that Eiffelland-Retalia relies largely on Pelasgia for oil and grane. Furthermore, Ostmark is currently a neutral country; it is in nobody's interest to push Grasser into the arms of Moravczick. It is in the direct interest of Eiffelland-Retalia that we choose our moves carefully. Please treat this note with discretion."
 

Touzen

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"I would agree with the assessment by the esteemed Chancellor that the Long Sea Authority should be an open body for all, even if they fail to see its merits at the present time...my primary concern here today is to keep the Long Sea quiet and secure, to give all our shipping peace of mind when crossing through the Long Sea. Nobody wants another Hyacinthe. Threats of this freedom being denied is what got us here in the first place", Hayabusa weighted in with a nod towards Rheinfeld, not without giving a passing glance towards the other side of the table where the Aurarian and Serenierren leaders were seated.

"In fact, it is trust building that is paramount...trust in each other, but also in this organization. The Long Sea Authority will have to be headquartered somewhere. It will have to be a place that not only enjoys an intrinsic connection to these adventurous waters but also has the infrastructure and clout to harbor an international body of this significance. Let me be so bold as to suggest Solis. As a respected Long Sea power, surely the Aurarian Republic would be a more than proper host to an organization committed to Long Sea cooperation and security."

The Anti-State leader looked towards the opposite end of the table once more, focusing his gaze on his Aurarian counterpart. In front of him between his notes he had shuffled the communique Rheinfeld had written in the orderly Schreibschrift taught in the Germanian countries back in the day before the certainly more efficient, but also devoid of character Blockschrift had taken over, a fact that he had lamented over at times but that was perhaps a sign of the general waning of the continent. As far as the content was concerned, he certainly held a different opinion regarding the neutrality of the hive of villainy that was Ostmark. There would be a time and place to present the Eiffellander with his thoughts on that matter.
 

Oneida

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The Aurarian Delegation had arrived knowing the situation. The Post-Delegationists had a skill with winning optics, which is partly why this conference even existed. However, with such open hostility from the region’s largest naval power and one of the most powerful countries on the planet, Auraria felt dynamics shifting. On optics, they had noticed the Dictator’s decision to place the delegations along their respective positions in the world – it was a nice touch. It also had the benefit of easily displaying how many stakeholders were absent.

Foreign Minister Orenes looked to his delegation before turning on his mic.

“Dictator Hayabusa” he began “allow me to begin by thanking the generosity of the Democratic Republic of Kashtan and..uh..the President.”

Orenes’ stumble was intentional.

“Dictator, your decision to accept the amendments of the Aurarine Republic has moved the pedulum toward peace and for that you have our thanks. The gathering of these nations here today is a critical step toward securing peace in the Long Sea, a region notorious for its predisposition to violence.”

“I agree with the universal truth, no one wants another Hycainthe. Nobody wants another hijacked trade vessel laced with bombs and directed at ports. No one wants to sail through the Long Sea knowing the number of submarines lurking beneath the depths prepared to do anything. We solve this by putting aside our differences to come together for a higher purpose, and we do that by building a consensus among the nations of the world and create a trust that otherwise does not exist.”

“Dictator Hayabusa, I appreciate your offer for the Aurarine Republic to serve as the host country to the Long Sea Authority – it is a kind gesture that I genuinely believe will set us forth in a positive direction. However, on the topic of trust I do so feel behooved to comment on what we’ve just witnessed.”

The Minister’s demeanor shifted to one of remorse, or regret. Almost that he languished what he was about to say.

“Chancellor Rheinfeld,” he turned to the Eiffellander “I appreciate and respect your call to negotiate-negotiate-negotiate, talk-talk-talk. I have always respected the Eiffellanders’ commitment to bridging the gaps that exist between countries, even if the people who have previously served in my roll lacked such an appreciation. However…you very obviously wrote to Dictator Hayabusa containing something you wanted him, and not the rest of us, to know. I would like you to explain how you can call for talk-talk-talk and trust building when at this very meeting you will so blatantly deliver a message to Dictator Hayabusa that you do not wish to speak nor trust the rest of us to know? My question – why should my country trust yours when you do not trust ours?”

The Foreign Minister turned his gaze to the remainder of the room.

“Building trust among the nations of this room will be an endeavor that will not be solved by this singular meeting, but it’s as good a place as any to start,” he said “I feel equally behooved to bring to discussion that the Pelasgian Empire, Kadikistan, and Ostmark have all denounced the Long Sea Authority before a word has been spoken. Two…delegations present today do not even border the Long Sea.”

The Minister paused.

“This Authority claims an authority rejected by the Sea’s largest naval power and one of the greatest powers in the world. It further brings together military assets of countries not bordering the Long Sea to enter it and have access to its ports. The Pelasgians alone will reject such a proposition and I fear that their rejection combined with an insistence that this Authority exist will exasperate tensions and result in the very thing we are trying to avoid.”

“In closing, I ask the following two questions: 1) If Chancellor Rheinfeld may answer my earlier questions and 2) Does it not behoove us to once more approach the Pelasgians, at minimum, to bring them to this table before we attempt to create an international commission to govern the affairs of the Long Sea?”

Minister Orenes leaned back in his seat.
 
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Hanseatic Republics

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The Aurarians speaking out against the Eiffellander conduct was a bit humorous. President Lepomäki hadn’t yet responded to the note and now felt uneasy trying to respond to it. She thought perhaps Chancellor Rheinfeld would understand why he did not get a response. Perhaps circumstances would later arise where she could get away with it, but for now she did not want to upset the Aurarian Foreign Minister.

She did found it a half regrettable and half offended that the Aurarian Foreign Minister would lead their delegation while every other delegation was led by their Head of Government.

What to say? She needed to chime in to make sure the pathway to peace would remain. Yet she knew the Pelasgians would not cede their precious status quo treaty. “Minister Orenes, while I appreciate your concern for your own self-described most powerful nation in the Loong Sea, their Empire seems to have no interest in peace. They cling to a relic of the past. They hide behind the Status Quo Treaty, a treaty which only interests the ghosts of christmas past and refuses to accept peace among all peoples. The inhabitants of Pohjanmaa are more than willing to work with the corrupt single-party dictatorship of Pelasgia. In fact so much so, we are willing to abandon our misgivings on the moral integrity of their Empire and allow for their chair to always be open at the Loong Sea Authority. With this fact alone where they are always allowed a seat in perpetuity, we may be allowed to move forward.”

Lepomäki sighed. She knew the Aurarians wouldn’t entirely trust her, but if they were genuine about wanting to start to forge trust, they’d have to start with the small things like this.
 

Touzen

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"Minister Orenes, thank you for providing the insights of the Aurarian government on this matter. Your acceptance of the prerequisites for peace has saved many a life of many of the political entities gathered here today, and for that you have my personal thanks", the Touzen leader parroted the manners of speech of the Aurarian representative, who's linguistic trickery to frame the conference as some sort of for him inconceivable victory for the Aurarian side was not lost on him. Like Lepomäki, he took the decision to send Orenes to this gathering as yet another slight by the Aurarians. Had they not understood the gravity of the situation?

Unlike his Pohjanmaan partner however, he preferred not to go in guns blazing into the discussion. After all, they were here to silence the guns. His mood darkened as he heard the typical bravado that was common for the Northerners. It wasn't that he disagreed with a single bit of what she was saying, he did applaud what he perceived as their zeal for the cause, but he was puzzled by the fact that she did say it, and the way she said it. It was a cultural gap he found difficult to bridge. The thought of having someone like her as a wife intimidated him - the idea of all household disputes being laid bare open in such an abrupt manner was inconceivable to a man raised in a culture rooted in the primacy of social cohesion. For his part, he generally knew he had screwed up when he didn't find a lunchbox prepared by his wife on the kitchen counter in the morning. That was the kind of indirect communication that worked in Touzen. Likewise, a bottle of Gallian red in the evening was the tool to rectify the situation.

"To add to what Colleague Lepomäki just said, let us remember that this conference has been explicitly opened to all parties, including those that are now rejecting the very premise of coming together and talking over the Long Sea issues. Among them entities with which our Anti-State does not even maintain diplomatic relations, whether it be through federal or state channels. The failure to arrive here today on neutral ground is not due to a lack of consideration you will find, it's for a lack of willingness. I do agree though that their seats among our ranks should be kept open should they opt to reconsider their stance. Long Sea stability is too important an issue to hold grudges over and bar anyone entry just because they have been dismissive initially", Hayabusa chimed in once more after the other post-delegationist had finished speaking.

As for Rheinfeld's note, the Eiffellander would be best suited to explain himself.
 

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Chancellor Rheinfeld assumed the aides he had ordered to take the notes to Hayabusa and Lepomäki to be able to understand that discretion was needed. Unfortunately, they didn’t. As a result, Minister Orenes of Auraria noticed that the notes were distributed. Very inconvenient. The Chancellor would discuss this out with his aides later on.


Although from a country where hierarchy was important, Rheinfeld did not have a problem with the fact that Auraria had sent the Minister of Foreign Affairs instead of the Head of Government or Head of State. The Minister of Foreign Affairs is by definition the highest diplomat of the country, so from Rheinfeld’s point of view worthy enough to represent the government abroad.


First let me answer His Excellency Minister Orenes’s question about my note to Their Excellencies Dictator Hayabusa and President Lepomäki. There is nothing secret in that note. I wanted to emphasize the need to reconcile between Pelasgia and Ostmark on one side and the Long Sea Authority on the other side. Eiffelland-Retalia has very good ties with those countries, and wants to maintain those ties. I wanted to emphasize that. The reason why I did so by means of a written note is that by using a written note for that gives some extra emphasis. It was not a matter of lack of trust towards Auraria or any other country that made me decide to communicate with Their Excellencies Dictator Hayabusa and President Lepomäki by means of a written note. Your Excellency Minister Morenes, my apologies for giving room to the feeling of distrust from our side to your country.


I share the concern of His Excellency Minister Morenes that the grounding of the Long Sea Authority will lead to exactly what it wants to prevent: Instability or even war in the Long Sea. The by-far largest naval force of the Long Sea is vehemently against this initiative. That is a complicating factor. Inviting Pelasgia and Ostmark to the Long Sea Authority and leaving their seats empty as long as they don’t accept the invitation will make clear that the Authority will remain open for them. However, I don’t think that they will join an organisation to maintain stability in the Long Sea if they have not had a hand in it themselves, especially not if it is an organisation with a military component. I am afraid that we have to find a different way to maintain peace in the Long Sea. My suggestion would be to wait with grounding the Long Sea Authority until Pelasgia and Ostmark agree with it, and for now ground the Long Sea Council, with the following charter.


————————————————————————————————————————


The Long Sea Council (LSC) is an organisation that seeks to achieve and maintain peace and stability by means of providing a place for the political entities that are directly situated alongside the Long Sea, as well as those actors that have a vital stake in its security as a raison d’être. It aims to comprehensively address the issue of single states or groups of states claiming control over the Long Sea, and to secure the free movement of commerce and other vessels through the Long Sea into the Thaumantic Ocean and Silk Sea.


- The LSC is to be run as a Commission of the representatives of the entities constituting it.

- The LSC is neutral in the sense that it is not committed to any specific ideology or power bloc, but seeks to protect peace and freedom of movement in Europe’s most important body of water.

- The LSC is committed to rejecting any claims of hegemony or authority outside of the collective, multipolar, agreed upon authority that it represents to the Long Sea.

- The LSC respects and makes no claims about the territorial waters of any Long Sea states, as long as these claims do not infringe the LSC-guaranteed international extraterritorial vector guaranteeing free movement throughout the whole of the Long Sea.

- The LSC is to have a permanent Commission of representatives of its members to govern matters pertaining to the mandate of the LSC.


————————————————————————————————————————


In the beginning, the LSC should present itself as a discussion partner for the countries that do not wish to joing it, while maintaining the possibility to join it. I think that this will make Pelasgia and Ostmark feel less uncomfortable with the initiative, also because the military component has been taken out. What is your thought?
 

Oneida

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Minister Orenes nodded at Chancellor Rheinfeld’s statement.

“Thank you, Chancellor,” he stated “The relationship between Auraria and Pelasgia has been strained in the past, but our countries have come together on occasion to defend the interests of free trade in the Long Sea. I appreciate your country’s emphasis on the importance of ensuring that there is strong support amongst the international community for this organization.”

Minister Orenes turned to the table at large.

“I agree with Chancellor Rheinfeld’s assessments. While I find it troubling that the Pohjanmaan delegation would belittle a treaty that has kept peace in the Long Sea for so long as well as scoffing at cultural differences that separate the Pelasgians to other civilizations, I nevertheless find it imperative that without their support we cannot get very far. We know that this organization will provoke the Pelasgians, at minimum, therefore I fear the course we are going on is one that leaves no other option than war.”

The Minister paused for a moment, sipping a cup of water and continuing his remarks.

“Even if this conference was open to all parties, and even if they refuse to come, they have still voiced opposition to this organization. I was a member of the team that negotiated the Ferreiro-Avgiros Accord. I know when I say that the Pelasgians will not take kindly to a new treaty they were not privy to that invites foreign military assets into the Long Sea.”

“With that in mind, I endorse Chancellor Rheinfeld’s decision to table the Long Sea Authority and instead replace with the Long Sea Council that contains no military element. This is imperfect, of course, but it is a step in the right direction. Whatever initiative we take, it needs to have support amongst the community otherwise you are guiding us into war.”

The Aurarians had little reason, or interest, to forge a relationship with the Pohjanmaans. They were a society hellbent on aggression backed by the Polity of Touzen.
 

Hanseatic Republics

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It was puzzling hearing the Aurarians and the Eiffellanders say what they did. They had the ability to put this all to bed and sign on the dotted line. Assuming none of the nations here wanted war, the Pelasgian problem would solve itself over time. Instead they wanted to risk it all with all out war in the Loong Sea. It was as if they did not understand what was at stake. They prioritized a crumbling Empire with no tradition of real democracy, and certainly an over-exaggerated military, over the threat of war right now. The Anti-State made it very clear what was needed to avoid an immediate all out war. The President had not asked to be attacked by Solis, and yet their idiot sailors decided to do so. It seemed as if the Aurarians were senile as to the terms.

Perhaps it was not Auraria’s fault though. It was the Eiffellanders for their peaceful demeanor, that seemed as though they were pushing for a war. The terms had been set, and here this guy was opening them up again and trying to weasel their way into something else. It was as if they wanted the talks to fail and Auraria to be attacked. Cheeky... the Eiffellanders maybe were puppet masters? The entirety of the conflict began in the Retalian Sea, and they’d be outright hostile to Pohjanmaan assets in the area trying to help. Perhaps they wanted a war, but they wanted that war between Auraria, Serenierre, and Pohjanmaa the entire time.

Displeased with the developments of the conference, and furthermore understanding that one of these delegates in attendance was a mole to outside parties, this conference was not being negotiated in good faith in her opinion. The Fenns in general were a culture that was blunt. They said what they meant, without any question in their words. Culturally they were quiet people though. So this could be quite confusing to an outsider. Quiet people that could suddenly be quite offensive or opinionated.

She decided to make an overt presentation of note passing. This was Fennic passive aggressiveness at work. On the note delivered to Hayabusa she wrote: Events and actors transpire against us. The course of history rests in your hands. Choose wisely, I shall follow your lead.

The note itself did not contain much information, but it was quite clearly dense in its meaning. There was a bigger plot afoot, and she would follow the lead of Hayabusa here. She would not speak further until he had set the course.
 

Záhorie

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Beck nodded. He had filled his paper with notes in Latin and German. His counterpart could read neither. Not that there was anything out of the ordinary in the notes. He glanced at those around the table. Some were indeed sensible men. Others, seemed naive. He sighed heavily before entering into discussion. "There was a time when simply the Custom of the Sea was as good as law. Many a nation here have observed such customs. Nicosia has for over 200 years. Our neutrality is, on many levels, reliant on other nations to recognize it. This is the same for maritime customs. We recognize the need for cooperation. We, in fact, need it. However, the Long Sea Authority should have no single military arm. It must rely on moral authority- not a military one. We remain concerned what this authority will do to international maritime custom. Nicosia is committed to remaining a neutral nation. Along with neutral recognition, Nicosia must rely on trust" he said. Beck glanced around the room. Shook his head. "If we are going to achieve anything we must see that trust. It seems clear to me, there is a lack of trust. These are the concerns of little Nicosia. I merely wished to make them clear" Beck concluded, sitting down.

He had no intention of adding anything further this early on. He sighed and began to cross out lines on his notes. It was a clear sign, he wasn't planning on any questions.
 

Rheinbund

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"Your Excellencies,we have to take the opinions of the countries bordering the Long Sea that are not present here into account as well. We cannot ignore the opinions of several important Engellish nations either. Statements voiced by many governments emphasize once more that the Long Sea is of interest to everyone, and emphasize once more that we have to involve all the countries that want to be involved. We have to find a way to convince countries like Pelasgia, Ostmark, Engellex and Beautancus about our good intentions, and we have to allow them to have a say in the organisation we want to establish, and even allow them to become part of the process to establish this organisation."

Rheinfeld realised very well what was at stake here. He realised very well that Pohjanmaa didn't have a problem with igniting a war when it would not have its way with the LSA. On the other hand, pushing the LSA through would lead to a path to war with Pelasgia, Kadikistan, and, as it looked like now, Beautancus and Engellex.
The situation was clear to Rheinfeld. He was very well aware of the naval activity of the Anti-State in the Long Sea, both on and below the surface. The Pohjanmaan submarines were extremely difficult but not impossible to detect.
As it stood now, Pelasgia would not allow the Anti-State to wage a war in the Long Sea and turn a big neighbourcountry into a postdelegationist bullwark. Apart from that, given the narrowness of the Long Sea, Eiffelland-Retalia on its own could keep the navy of the Anti-State out. It would need to carpet-bomb the Long Sea with depth charges to bomb all the Pohjanmaan submarines out, but also that was feasible.
On the other hand, if Eiffelland-Retalia would choose the side of the Anti-State, the first thing that would happen in the case of a war was that Pelasgia would stop delivering oil. And then the war would be extremely short for Eiffelland-Retalia.

Especially Eiffelland had a tradition of trying to please everyone, even countries with opposite interests. That was a good intention, but could also lead to problems when it was not detected on time that pleasing everyone was impossible, because then you ended up with neither side happy. Rheinfeld suddenly realised that he could have stepped into that trap, like Röpke, Von Seydewitz and many other Eiffellandian Chancellors before him. He hoped that he could repair the relations with Pelasgia and Ostmark, preferably in such a way that he would not damage the relations with the postdelegationists, and he hoped that he didn't have frustrated the the first steps to reconciliation with Engellex and Beautancus.

OOC: Modified on 21JUL2019. The quote below is the original text.
Of course the conference was not completely blocked from the outside world. At a certain moment, an Eiffelloretalian aide walked in, with a tablet in her hand. She presented it to Chancellor Rheinfeld.

"Your Excellencies, I have to read out the following newsfeed from Tidningarnas Telegrambyrå."



"This emphasizes once more that the Long Sea is of interest to everyone, and emphasizes once more that we have to involve all the countries that want to be involved. We have to find a way to convince countries like Pelasgia, Ostmark, Engellex and Beautancus about our good intentions, and we have to allow them to have a say in the organisation we want to establish, and even allow them to become part of the process to establish this organisation."

Rheinfeld realised very well what was at stake here. He realised very well that Pohjanmaa didn't have a problem with igniting a war when it would not have its way with the LSA. On the other hand, pushing the LSA through would lead to a path to war with Pelasgia, Kadikistan, and, as it looked like now, Beautancus and Engellex.
The situation was clear to Rheinfeld. He was very well aware of the naval activity of the Anti-State in the Long Sea, both on and below the surface. The Pohjanmaan submarines were extremely difficult but not impossible to detect.
As it stood now, Pelasgia would not allow the Anti-State to wage a war in the Long Sea and turn a big neighbourcountry into a postdelegationist bullwark. Apart from that, given the narrowness of the Long Sea, Eiffelland-Retalia on its own could keep the navy of the Anti-State out. It would need to carpet-bomb the Long Sea with depth charges to bomb all the Pohjanmaan submarines out, but also that was feasible.
On the other hand, if Eiffelland-Retalia would choose the side of the Anti-State, the first thing that would happen in the case of a war was that Pelasgia would stop delivering oil. And then the war would be extremely short for Eiffelland-Retalia.

Especially Eiffelland had a tradition of trying to please everyone, even countries with opposite interests. That was a good intention, but could also lead to problems when it was not detected on time that pleasing everyone was impossible, because then you ended up with neither side happy. Rheinfeld suddenly realised that he could have stepped into that trap, like Röpke, Von Seydewitz and many other Eiffellandian Chancellors before him. He hoped that he could repair the relations with Pelasgia and Ostmark, preferably in such a way that he would not damage the relations with the postdelegationists, and he hoped that he didn't have frustrated the the first steps to reconciliation with Engellex and Beautancus.
 
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Rheinbund

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A medical helicopter flew from the Trierer Stadtschloss (the King's work palace) to the location of the Pietas (the university hospital of the Universität der Stadt Trier) in the Trierer city quarter Wedding. The patient was King Albrecht. He had been complaining about a stiff neck this morning, and he was a bit drowsy. In the afternoon, he collapsed during a discussion with one of the ministers. The emergency doctor that had flown to the hospital in the medical helicopter diagnosed a meningitis. Now he was flown to he hospital.

Meanwhile, the information department of the Palace wrote a press release about the King's disease. But with a mistake. The press release mentioned that the King had suffered from a stroke, instead of a meningitis. It took some time before this mistake had been discovered.

OOC: This post was changed on 21JUL2019. Please see the quote below for the original post.

Then the aide walked in another time, her face pale. She walked to Chancellor Rheinfeld and whispered: "Herr Kanzler, das müssen Sie lesen." [Chancellor, you have to read this.]

Rheinfeld saw the aide in the face, noticed her pale face, accepted the tablet and started to read. Then he frightened up. "Ach du lieber Gott," he said.

Then he turned to the people around the table. "Your Excellencies, I have an announcement to make. His Majesty King Albrecht has been admitted to hospital with a severe stroke. He is currently in a coma, and his doctors fear the worst. I have to return to Eiffelland-Retalia immediately. My apologies. We have to negotiate this out at a later stage."

The Eiffelloretalian delegation left the room, apologising extensively to all the people in the room, especially Dictator Hayabusa.
 
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Touzen

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"Teijo Raita."

Silence.

"Ruuben Tammi."

Hayabusa, risen from the chair, had all eyes in the room on him.

"Irene Olli."

By now, Lepomäki was giving him a knowing look.

"Simo Koski."

Mouths were opened and bodies gestured as if to interrupt the Dictator, but he ignored them, raising his voice with greater intensity and increasing the pace with every uttered pair of words.

"Alex Huttunen. Ilkka Kukkonen. Kari Niskala. Elsa Repo. Eero Heikkilä. Markku Leskinen."

Hayabusa's eyebrows had furrowed in an intense stare piercing Orenes on the other side of the table.

"10 people, Mister Orenes. 10 sons and daughters, fathers and mothers that never returned home, never saw their parents, their children again, because your government felt at liberty to murder them", the Touzen man, towering in all his 5'8 glory, continued without sitting down.

"10 people dead, and you are telling us to shelf the military component of the Long Sea Authority and leave us with a nice little talking club."

He raised his arms as if in a shrug and theatrically looked around the room. Then he saw down again and continued with a calmer voice.

"10 people dead, a war narrowly avoided and a conference called to perpetuate that avoidance, a gift of peace, and we are back to step 1. I had accepted you'd waste my men, but find it insulting you would also waste my time."

Hayabusa folded his hands in front of him on the table.

"Listen, I know you couldn't care less about the men you've murdered. I get it, yours is a state, it's what states do. But the idea of the Long Sea Authority is to make sure that we will never have to call a conference like this again. The idea is to permanently solve the recurring troubles that trouble the Long Sea by finally getting some cooperation going in a region that is far too warlike for its own sake and the sake of the world at large.

As part of the preparations for this conference, I ordered our naval forces, poised to retaliate for the murder of allied sailors, out of the Long Sea, at a great political cost and the risk of exposing them should you have backstabbed us. I did it anyway, because peace is worth almost any sacrifice.

Minister Orenes, do not mistake my kindness for weakness. Greater men have done so before and the result is sitting at the table here with you."

Shoving back his chair, Hayabusa stood up again and crossed his arms behind his back. A seashell portrait of the titanic President smiled behind him.

"The military component of the draft that we have proposed is a voluntary one. It is not an alliance, we are certainly no allies. It's a proposal to coordinate our housekeeping, so to say. What will be the result of agreeing on no military coordination component is that our respective naval forces will continue to pursue their individual agendas in the Long Sea, and nothing will be solved. There will still be Free Navy submarines. There will be Anti-State missile destroyers. There will be the Aurarian Navy, the forces of Serenniere and others, all pursuing their individual agendas without much coordination. Another one of these incidents is bound to happen again, and next time we might not be so lucky as to avoid a war.

You want the post-delegationist forces out of the Long Sea. If you think that is going to happen, you have not been paying attention. How can they leave after our lifelines were threatened and our men murdered? They are bound by common sense as well as honor to stay and protect our people. The question is whether it will be a few ships as part of an effort that will help keep the Long Sea calm, collectively, or whether you force our hands to go back in at full force. The choice, in my opinion, is obvious."

Hayabusa gave a curious stare towards the Eiffellander who was swiping away on his tablet. This didn't look like notetaking and he certainly wouldn't be using Burner here either to find some Kashtanese girls to have fun with - the Kashtanese regime, borrowing from the best traditions of traditional Marxist-Leninovism, had no public internet available, certainly no wifi. In lieu of the Internet, a massive Intranet was connecting the nodes of the country, steering the machines of cybernetic industrial command and control.
 

Rheinbund

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Chancellor Rheinfeld was quite annoyed by Dictator Hayabusa's words. And he wasn't impressed by the fact that the Dictator decided to stand up in order to give his words more emphasis.

"Your Excellency, it goes too far to suggest that statist countries don't care for the lives of human beings. Statist countries do," Rheinfeld said while standing up himself as well. The difference was, that he was a bit taller than Dictator Hayabusa's 1.73 meters / 5 feet 8 inch. Chancellor Rheinfeld was 1.87 meters / 6 feet 2 inch tall.

In the end of the 1980s and during the 1990s, Eiffellandians and Retalians who had children aged between 14 and 28 complained that their children had become so tall. Nowadays people with grandchildren aged between 14 and 30 complained about the heights of their grandchildren.
The reason why Eiffellandians and Retalians born after 1960 were so tall, were improvements in the diets as a result of increased wealth. The average height of Eiffellandian and Retalian men was 1.75 meters / 5 feet 8 7/8 inch in 1960, but 1.83 meters / 6 feet 0 inch in 2018. The average height of Eiffellandian and Retalian women was 1.61 meters / 5 feet 3 3/8 inch in 1960, but 1.69 meters / 5 feet 6 1/2 inch in the 2018. Of course the Eiffelloretalians living on the islands in the Long Sea and the Kalahari Sea were a bit shorter than the Eiffelloretalians living on the continent and the Retalian Sea islands, but also they were quite tall.

"I do feel the pain of the families and friends of the ten people who died at the Espoo, and His Excellency Minister Orenes feels that pain as well. But now I have a question to you. What do you want to achieve with the LSA? Peace and stability in the Long Sea? If yes, we have to come to a kind of LSA that is not considered provocative by the Pelasgians and the Cussians. Or maybe we have to achieve peace and stability in the Long Sea in a completely different manner."

Eiffelland-Retalia

"Krreiz-Krruzifix!!!!", Grauholzer growled. "We should never have attended that conference."

"You are right, but what happened, happened," Vice-Chancellor Fritschler said. "Now we have to do damage control and correct that initial press release. My goodness, how could that happen? Kreuz-Kruzifix!" Fritschler was from the Harz, completely in Northern Continental Eiffelland. The German dialect spoken there resembled the German dialect spoken in Continental Retalia. Fritschler, however, had lost the Harzer accent and spoke the official German that resembled the German of Elben, Ostmark and the Southern 1/3 of Eiffelland.

Vice-Chancellor Rüdiger Zimmermann remained calm. "The first thing we do now, is Crown-Prince Friedrich's oath as Prince-Regent. Then we correct the initial press release, and make clear that the King did not suffer a stroke but suffered a meningitis. After that, we contact the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Ostmark, Pelasgia, Engellex and Beautancus. I will contact the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ostmark. Herr Fritschler, you contact the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pelasgia. We contact them in our roles as Vice-Chancellors. Herr Di Gravesano-Carone, you contact the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Beautancus and Engellex. You do so in your role as Minister of Foreign Affairs."

Half an hour later, Vice-Chancellor Zimmermann called the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ostmark, Vice-Chancellor Fritschler called the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pelasgia, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Di Gravesano-Carone called first the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Beautancus and then the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Engellex. The following message was exchanged:
1. Chancellor Rheinfeld is in Kashtan; trying to negotiate about something that is acceptable to both Pelasgia and Ostmark and Beautancus.
2. The government of Eiffelland-Retalia does not know how the negotiations go in Kashtan, and has not been able to contact the Chancellor yet.
3. The government of Eiffelland-Retalia does not know what will happen from now on; however, should Chancellor Rheinfeld be forced to sign the Long Sea Authority treaty, the government of Eiffelland-Retalia will make sure that the parliaments of Eiffelland-Retalia will not ratify it, so that the treaty will not become effective; "yes, the parliaments have that power, and at least the coalition parties will vote against".



OOC: Changes:

07JUL2019: First paragraph modified. The original text was:
"Do you see any dust here?" the Chancellor asked. "Do you feel any wind here? There is no dust storm. We are the reason why the airspace has been closed. Verdammt noch mal, I have to go to Trier! The King is dying, um Gottes Willen!" Completely under the impression that King Albrecht was really ill, and not knowing that it was a plot from Minister-President of Retalia Grauholzer and Minister of Foreign Affairs Di Gravesano-Carone, he became angrier and angrier.

21JUL2019: Substantially rewritten. The pre-modification text was:
Kashtan

"Verdammt noch mal, a dust storm!" the Chancellor shouted. "This comes at a very convenient moment for the Postdelegationists. Verdammte Scheisse, I have to go to Trier! The King is dying, um Gottes Willen!" Completely under the impression that King Albrecht was really ill, and not knowing that it was a plot from Minister-President of Retalia Grauholzer and Minister of Foreign Affairs Di Gravesano-Carone, he became angrier and angrier.

"This is their way to force us to sign for the Long Sea Authority," Rheinfeld said. "From my point of view, it's simple. I am not going to sign at gunpoint. Ladies, gentlemen, I am sorry for this situation, but chances are high that we will stay here for a very long time. We will go to the embassy now."

"Herr Kanzler, there may be a way out," one of the aides said. "If you sign, the treaty will not become effective until the Landestage and the Unionsrat ratify it. You can sign, leave the country and then back home hold a press conference in which you make clear that you were forced to sign."

"That is the easy way out," Rheinfeld said. "The disadvantage of your approach is that I will appear like a coward. No, I will not sign. Come what has to come."


Eiffelland-Retalia

"Krreuz-Krruzifix!!!!", Grauholzer roared, and smashed his fist on the table. "Those fucking antistatists!!!! Democracy my ass in that fucking antistate!!!! Krreuz-Krruzifix!!!!"

It was clear that the trick to give Rheinfeld an excuse to leave had failed.

"Indeed, so much for promoting democracy," Vice-Chancellor Fritschler said.

Vice-Chancellor Rüdiger Zimmermann remained calm. "The first thing we do now, is Crown-Prince Friedrich's oath as Prince-Regent. Then we 'correct' the previous press release that the King suffered a stroke."

He said the last thing, because it was Prince Ludwig's boyfriend Jonathan who remarked that the King could never fully recover from a severe stroke. Upon advice from a neurologist, who had been thanked for the advice and been made clear that this consult was a state secret, the press release would be 'corrected' by saying that the King suffered from a severe bacterial meningo-encephalitis instead of a stroke.

"After that, we contact the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Ostmark, Pelasgia, Engellex and Beautancus. I will contact the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ostmark. Herr Fritschler, you contact the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pelasgia. We contact them in our roles as Vice-Chancellors. Herr Di Gravesano-Carone, you contact the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Beautancus and Engellex. You do so in your role as Minister of Foreign Affairs."

Half an hour later, Vice-Chancellor Zimmermann called the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ostmark, Vice-Chancellor Fritschler called the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pelasgia, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Di Gravesano-Carone called first the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Beautancus and then the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Engellex. The following message was exchanged:
1. Chancellor Rheinfeld is stuck in Kashtan; he may have been taken hostage.
2. The government of Eiffelland-Retalia does not know yet what is happening in Kashtan, and has not been able to contact the Chancellor yet.
3. The government of Eiffelland-Retalia does not know what will happen from now on; however, should Chancellor Rheinfeld be forced to sign the Long Sea Authority treaty, the government of Eiffelland-Retalia will make sure that the parliaments of Eiffelland-Retalia will not ratify it, so that the treaty will not become effective; "yes, the parliaments have that power, and at least the coalition parties will vote against".

23JUL2019: The third paragraph of the section "Kashtan" has been modified: The average height of Eiffellandians and Retalians has been split up by gender. Please see below for the original text.
In the end of the 1980s and during the 1990s, Eiffellandians and Retalians who had children aged between 14 and 28 complained that their children had become so tall. Nowadays people with grandchildren aged between 14 and 30 complained about the heights of their grandchildren.
The reason why Eiffellandians and Retalians born after 1960 were so tall, were improvements in the diets as a result of increased wealth. The average height of Eiffellandians and Retalians was 1.73 meters / 5 feet 8 inch in the 1960s, but 1.83 meters / 6 feet 0 inch in the 2010s. Of course the Eiffelloretalians living on the islands in the Long Sea and the Kalahari Sea were a bit shorter than the Eiffelloretalians living on the continent and the Retalian Sea islands, but also they were quite tall.
 
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