Jydsken-Østveg
Established Nation
MEETINGS IN HIGH PLACES: TRIPARTITE TALKS, GÖTARIKE, FRESCANIA, ENGELLEX
Nilla nodded, "I have no problem." She collected some things from her purse and pulled out a notepad. The Queen sat there in silence. What many did not know was how shy she was. She didn't really make public announcements and only when she felt the people really needed her support did she make her presence felt. As of late, she'd shied away from the limelight preferring to stay at some of the small castles scattered around Götarike, a pointed move to stay out of the tabloids and work more behind the scenes. Of course she didn't waver on her responsibilities, such as today, accepting foreign dignitaries.
There was a brief silence that might've felt unnerving. Nilla didn't notice at first but now was actually purposely not speaking and pretending to look at her notes. She knew that more Southern Europeans tended to be a bit more noisy and talkative and she was curious if this would make her company a little unnerved. As far as she could tell it wasn't doing anything to the mood of the room. No one seemed any extra edgy, but the thought did produce a smile from her. Looking up from her notepad she decided to more formally respond to the President's words before they were interrupted by the entrance of his aides or rather his colleagues. "Götarike of course understand the burden carried by the Frescanian people. In all honesty, I will do my utmost to make sure your nation is justly rewarded for its sacrifice. That said, a swift conclusion is also the goal of my Government since I've recently taken office after the tragic death of our last Prime Minister. Unfortunately the two of you never met, due to your new status with in your own Government as well, so this puts us in a similar situation. Personally, anyhow..."
She paused thinking about how to answer his other concern. The Karlskrona Accord was a difficult thing to manage in her opinion. Mostly because other democracies wanted no part of it and yet it was the only real alliance that could represent democracy. It didn't help that other strange alliances of convenience such as the European Defense Federation were so to speak on their last legs and nobody really trusted anyone in this new geopolitical climate. An end to nearly seventy years of near continuous peace. Hell, an end to nearly two hundred years of peace for Götarike.
She wondered when the Engellexic delegates would arrive.
Brushing her fingers through her hair, her mouth tilted to the side a bit before she spoke, "I'll be honest with you. I have no idea how to address the problems Karlskrona has in regards to publicity. We're in a jam. Götarike is not known for playing nice. We never have been, and we've never had to. The world is a dangerous place and we've always spoken with others having that in mind. With the degradation of Aren forces since the 19th century, and coupled with our relatively newly acquired independence and forceful ascent to the top of power in the Skandinavisk region throughout the 20th century we've been to be quite frank... arrogant. I don't think we can change that. The fact we've been spit in the face of from these Celts, and the fact we're winning this war, well... I don't foresee us being less arrogant. If the damned Cantigny would accept their invitation to join us, an invitation they applied for nonetheless, I doubt we'd look any better on the world stage. If anything, perhaps more arrogant with how the Engellexic conduct themselves. Not that I've met the Oceanic peoples, but like father like son? I am right? So... how to address our image? I don't know, but I do think we can change it. How, is the hard problem."
She paused again, realizing that she was perhaps narrating her thoughts. Her own thoughts providing another spark to continue speaking, "Oh! About our economy, I do believe the sale of our colonies has and will continue to stabilize our bankroll so to speak. We can meet our debts easily. This is a concern that the bankers like the speculate on, and that of course doesn't make it easier, but our debts can be paid. The hard part is moving our economy forward after this war. It is without a doubt that our economy can no longer afford to try to move forward on its own industrial power. Our environmental regulations won't allow it, our international competitiveness just isn't what it used to be before this war. What we can do better than everyone else is computers. I'm quite sure you are familiar with Päron Datorn, and their infamous iPhone and Pearbook computer lines. We need to continue to move this forward and that is the future of our country. The problem is we have a lot of industry that needs to be moved out of the country. The failure of these companies will do us no good. So, we're currently working with some nations out in East Cathay or Touyou, that might start to accept some of this manufacturing. Additionally, moving this manufacturing to our remaining colonies such as Nya Skåne might provide some help. If the damned Cantigny joined Karlskrona I'm sure they'd like to take some on themselves. I'm not sure how Frescania can help us with transitioning our economy, but if Fortaleza Real can help us, we'll take anything we can get..."
She wondered again when the Engellexic would arrive.
Nilla nodded, "I have no problem." She collected some things from her purse and pulled out a notepad. The Queen sat there in silence. What many did not know was how shy she was. She didn't really make public announcements and only when she felt the people really needed her support did she make her presence felt. As of late, she'd shied away from the limelight preferring to stay at some of the small castles scattered around Götarike, a pointed move to stay out of the tabloids and work more behind the scenes. Of course she didn't waver on her responsibilities, such as today, accepting foreign dignitaries.
There was a brief silence that might've felt unnerving. Nilla didn't notice at first but now was actually purposely not speaking and pretending to look at her notes. She knew that more Southern Europeans tended to be a bit more noisy and talkative and she was curious if this would make her company a little unnerved. As far as she could tell it wasn't doing anything to the mood of the room. No one seemed any extra edgy, but the thought did produce a smile from her. Looking up from her notepad she decided to more formally respond to the President's words before they were interrupted by the entrance of his aides or rather his colleagues. "Götarike of course understand the burden carried by the Frescanian people. In all honesty, I will do my utmost to make sure your nation is justly rewarded for its sacrifice. That said, a swift conclusion is also the goal of my Government since I've recently taken office after the tragic death of our last Prime Minister. Unfortunately the two of you never met, due to your new status with in your own Government as well, so this puts us in a similar situation. Personally, anyhow..."
She paused thinking about how to answer his other concern. The Karlskrona Accord was a difficult thing to manage in her opinion. Mostly because other democracies wanted no part of it and yet it was the only real alliance that could represent democracy. It didn't help that other strange alliances of convenience such as the European Defense Federation were so to speak on their last legs and nobody really trusted anyone in this new geopolitical climate. An end to nearly seventy years of near continuous peace. Hell, an end to nearly two hundred years of peace for Götarike.
She wondered when the Engellexic delegates would arrive.
Brushing her fingers through her hair, her mouth tilted to the side a bit before she spoke, "I'll be honest with you. I have no idea how to address the problems Karlskrona has in regards to publicity. We're in a jam. Götarike is not known for playing nice. We never have been, and we've never had to. The world is a dangerous place and we've always spoken with others having that in mind. With the degradation of Aren forces since the 19th century, and coupled with our relatively newly acquired independence and forceful ascent to the top of power in the Skandinavisk region throughout the 20th century we've been to be quite frank... arrogant. I don't think we can change that. The fact we've been spit in the face of from these Celts, and the fact we're winning this war, well... I don't foresee us being less arrogant. If the damned Cantigny would accept their invitation to join us, an invitation they applied for nonetheless, I doubt we'd look any better on the world stage. If anything, perhaps more arrogant with how the Engellexic conduct themselves. Not that I've met the Oceanic peoples, but like father like son? I am right? So... how to address our image? I don't know, but I do think we can change it. How, is the hard problem."
She paused again, realizing that she was perhaps narrating her thoughts. Her own thoughts providing another spark to continue speaking, "Oh! About our economy, I do believe the sale of our colonies has and will continue to stabilize our bankroll so to speak. We can meet our debts easily. This is a concern that the bankers like the speculate on, and that of course doesn't make it easier, but our debts can be paid. The hard part is moving our economy forward after this war. It is without a doubt that our economy can no longer afford to try to move forward on its own industrial power. Our environmental regulations won't allow it, our international competitiveness just isn't what it used to be before this war. What we can do better than everyone else is computers. I'm quite sure you are familiar with Päron Datorn, and their infamous iPhone and Pearbook computer lines. We need to continue to move this forward and that is the future of our country. The problem is we have a lot of industry that needs to be moved out of the country. The failure of these companies will do us no good. So, we're currently working with some nations out in East Cathay or Touyou, that might start to accept some of this manufacturing. Additionally, moving this manufacturing to our remaining colonies such as Nya Skåne might provide some help. If the damned Cantigny joined Karlskrona I'm sure they'd like to take some on themselves. I'm not sure how Frescania can help us with transitioning our economy, but if Fortaleza Real can help us, we'll take anything we can get..."
She wondered again when the Engellexic would arrive.