Pelasgia
Established Nation
Propontis, Pelasgia
December 8 was the day when winter finally decided to arrive in Propontis. The regions of the country deeper inland, closer to the mighty White Mountains had already felt its chill and had even started to see snow, while the isles of the Archipelago scarcely felt any seasonal change from autumn, apart from heavier seas. Last year's winter had been harsh and unforgiving, to the point that the Government had had to raise heating subsidies in the poorer regions of the country and work with KEPEFA, the state hydrocarbon monopoly, to allow for delayed payments on heating bills. Still, for the great palaces (or megara in Arcado-Pelasgian) that lined the banks of the Chrysydros, Propopontis' largest river, such concerns were immaterial: the bigger the palatial residence, the more likely that its occupant could heat it year-round without fear of the cost.
One of the mightiest of these palaces was the Megaron Logotheton or "Palace of the Cabinet Secretaries," which, as its name alluded to, housed the Cabinet Council and the office of the Grand Secretary of the Empire. Paling in comparison to the nearby Great Palace and the New Senate House or Bouleuterium, it was nevertheless a mighty building, flanked by its own section of the Imperial Gardens and large enough to be clearly marked on most maps of the Queen of Cities. Whereas a visit to the Great Palace of Propontis was meant to flatter the ego of a country, being hosted at the Grand Secretary's palatial manor was no less significant: it was a distinct symbol of warmth and familiarity in the relations of the two countries.
It was thus of little surprise that the leader of @Arcadia , Archon Fotios Samaras, would be hosted there—in no small part because, to many Pelasgians, he was not a foreign leader so much as he was the governor of certain provinces that had "gotten away" and that would, one day, return to the fold of the Fatherland. Irredentism and romantic pan-nationalism aside, however, Propontis and Megalopolis had managed to get along for the better part of a century, given that the 19th and early 20th centuries had been characterised not by brotherly cooperation but by brutal warfare between the two sides. Somewhere in the Megaron, close to the stairs, hanged the portrait of General Alexandros Phokas, the heroic general who had barely beaten off the Arcadians and their foreign allies in Scutari from capturing the Straits and threatening Propontis in the 1920s. The same General Phokas would become Grand Secretary and then dictator of Tiburia... a legacy that was still debated and contested, even within the cabinet itself, thanks to the unmistakable person of Exterior Secretary Theophrastos Phokas, the direct descendant and family heir of the late hero-dictator.
"Welcome to Propontis, Your Excellency," the Secretary to his counterpart, as the two of them walked behind their respective leaders on the way to the Megaron's main conference room, a beautiful marble-lined hall with mosaics adorning its ceiling, supported by Corinthian pillars between which large windows gave a view into the other side of the city across the river, as well as the Hagia Pronoia and Great Palace. "It was our hope that a plethora of subjects could be tackled by your visit here, but I expect that the Great Secretary will give Mr. Samaras the right to choose the first topic, in no small part out of respect. Of course, apart from items that I am sure we both wish to make progress on, like visa-free travel and student and cultural exchange programs, there are also harder, more practical matters. I am not here merely referring to trade talks to relax tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade, but also about the potential for the first true defensive alliance between our countries in centuries. Naturally, this could also be accompanied by policing cooperation, but it would also necessitate a formal, permanent agreement on our maritime boundaries and EEZ rights. Finally, the issue of mutual recognition of court decisions and legal documents, particularly due to the federal nature of your country and the special legal status of certain islands in the Archipelago in our country is also a point that has long complicated our relations."
Indeed, as the two delegations sat down opposite each other, after the appropriate and necessary pleasantries had been dispensed with, the Grand Secretary offered his "Most Honourable Colleague" the floor to choose the first topic of discussion and to outline the Arcadian side's views on the matter.
December 8 was the day when winter finally decided to arrive in Propontis. The regions of the country deeper inland, closer to the mighty White Mountains had already felt its chill and had even started to see snow, while the isles of the Archipelago scarcely felt any seasonal change from autumn, apart from heavier seas. Last year's winter had been harsh and unforgiving, to the point that the Government had had to raise heating subsidies in the poorer regions of the country and work with KEPEFA, the state hydrocarbon monopoly, to allow for delayed payments on heating bills. Still, for the great palaces (or megara in Arcado-Pelasgian) that lined the banks of the Chrysydros, Propopontis' largest river, such concerns were immaterial: the bigger the palatial residence, the more likely that its occupant could heat it year-round without fear of the cost.
One of the mightiest of these palaces was the Megaron Logotheton or "Palace of the Cabinet Secretaries," which, as its name alluded to, housed the Cabinet Council and the office of the Grand Secretary of the Empire. Paling in comparison to the nearby Great Palace and the New Senate House or Bouleuterium, it was nevertheless a mighty building, flanked by its own section of the Imperial Gardens and large enough to be clearly marked on most maps of the Queen of Cities. Whereas a visit to the Great Palace of Propontis was meant to flatter the ego of a country, being hosted at the Grand Secretary's palatial manor was no less significant: it was a distinct symbol of warmth and familiarity in the relations of the two countries.
It was thus of little surprise that the leader of @Arcadia , Archon Fotios Samaras, would be hosted there—in no small part because, to many Pelasgians, he was not a foreign leader so much as he was the governor of certain provinces that had "gotten away" and that would, one day, return to the fold of the Fatherland. Irredentism and romantic pan-nationalism aside, however, Propontis and Megalopolis had managed to get along for the better part of a century, given that the 19th and early 20th centuries had been characterised not by brotherly cooperation but by brutal warfare between the two sides. Somewhere in the Megaron, close to the stairs, hanged the portrait of General Alexandros Phokas, the heroic general who had barely beaten off the Arcadians and their foreign allies in Scutari from capturing the Straits and threatening Propontis in the 1920s. The same General Phokas would become Grand Secretary and then dictator of Tiburia... a legacy that was still debated and contested, even within the cabinet itself, thanks to the unmistakable person of Exterior Secretary Theophrastos Phokas, the direct descendant and family heir of the late hero-dictator.
"Welcome to Propontis, Your Excellency," the Secretary to his counterpart, as the two of them walked behind their respective leaders on the way to the Megaron's main conference room, a beautiful marble-lined hall with mosaics adorning its ceiling, supported by Corinthian pillars between which large windows gave a view into the other side of the city across the river, as well as the Hagia Pronoia and Great Palace. "It was our hope that a plethora of subjects could be tackled by your visit here, but I expect that the Great Secretary will give Mr. Samaras the right to choose the first topic, in no small part out of respect. Of course, apart from items that I am sure we both wish to make progress on, like visa-free travel and student and cultural exchange programs, there are also harder, more practical matters. I am not here merely referring to trade talks to relax tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade, but also about the potential for the first true defensive alliance between our countries in centuries. Naturally, this could also be accompanied by policing cooperation, but it would also necessitate a formal, permanent agreement on our maritime boundaries and EEZ rights. Finally, the issue of mutual recognition of court decisions and legal documents, particularly due to the federal nature of your country and the special legal status of certain islands in the Archipelago in our country is also a point that has long complicated our relations."
Indeed, as the two delegations sat down opposite each other, after the appropriate and necessary pleasantries had been dispensed with, the Grand Secretary offered his "Most Honourable Colleague" the floor to choose the first topic of discussion and to outline the Arcadian side's views on the matter.
