wendmarkinfo.wm - WENDMARKER NEWS, WORLD WIDE

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WENDMARKER NEWS, WORLD WIDE​

wendmarkinfo is a multi-language news and information platform produced by WRG (Wendmarkerische Radio- und Fernsehgesellschaft), the Wendmarker public broadcasting corporation. Its content is Wendmark-centred, with top priority given to in-depth information on politics, the economy, the arts, science, education and tourism. Wendmark's international political, economic and cultural relations are other key points of focus.

 

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WENDMARKER NEWS, WORLD WIDE​

Headlines

Government expresses concern over the war in the Far East. Calls for a mutually acceptable diplomatic solution to be reached before any more lives are claimed in vain.

The Freistaat shall postpone any formal decision on whether to recognise or not the new Commonwealth beween Fulanistan and Batavië.

Ringkuhkämpfe cow fighting championship kicks off. This year the competition takes place in Bergün. Last year's winner, Bebelle from Waltensburg, is not amongst the competitors. Her owner, Urs Schwiggler, has stated that Bebelle was recovering from a leg injury.

 

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WENDMARKER NEWS, WORLD WIDE​

War in the Far East to pinch Wendmark's consumer market

The war in the Far East and the blanket blockade imposed upon Jizhou by Oikawa spells nothing good for states that imported goods manufactured in Jizhou and Oikawan continental provinces. The Free State is one of such importers, with trade ties between Jizhou and Wendmark having grown steadily in recent years, even if still somewhat timidly due to the ambiguous political status of Jizhou.

"This whole blockade deal is quite worryisome. While it is too early to say for sure what the exact effects shall be, the events being recent, there is already a sentiment of worry amongst importers," said Kondar Wigli, a representative of the Free State Chamber of Commerce. "Those shipments that have already left Jizhou are expected to arrive on schedule, but there is no information as to what is going to happen to those stuck in Oikawan ports because their cargo has not been delivered yet to proceed with shipping."​

The Department for Economic Affairs could not provide any additional information on the subject. Doris Jenatsch , head of the DEA, has simply commented that they are "working on it", but reassured that the government would take appropriate measures to ensure that the disruptions did not cause any undue interference with the national economy.

Some analysts have pointed to the irony that the Free State's drive to emancipate herself from economic reliance on trade with neighbours by encouraging her companies to go far, far away to do business has backfired. Others still point out that the impact shall not be severe and shall be seen in the rise of prices on substitute or similar goods imported from other countries, which would be deprived of the competition put up by the cheaply produced Jizhou items.


Headlines

SC Bern to play friendly in Wiese against Zenit Oldenburg. The date and location of the game remain to be announced, but the two clubs appear to have agreed on two games, one each other's home towns.

Wendmarker Heer pondering Wieser Pumas for permanent readiness brigades. The Pumas would replace the Spz 2000 in the permanent readiness mechanised and tank brigades. The "freed" Spz 2000 vould be transferred to Miliz units. No formal decision has been made.

 

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WENDMARKER NEWS, WORLD WIDE​

Administration criticised for negotiating agreements with Wiese "in secret"

The Head of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ferdinand Niederhausern, has come under criticism from a portion of the Staatstag for negotiating "in secret" new bilateral agreements with the Wieser Empire. The critics include members of the Social-Democratic party, who have used the opportunity to criticise Landamann Grauholzer's administration's line with the Wieser Empire which has tended towards greater rapprochement between the two countries.

The Wendmarker Minister for Foreign Affairs, however, rejected criticism, saying that negotiations are still being held and have only now passed into the somewhat more public phase. The agreements are, thus, still on the negotiating table and the final texts are not yet ready to be signed. Teams of negotiators from both countries are holding regular meetings to flesh out the details, the Foreign Affairs Department's website stated.

"We have to make do with the general Wieser tendency to not be overtly public over things," Ferdinand Niederhausern commented in an interview for Basler Zeitung. "People also have to understand that we cannot do without Wiese. They are our neighbours, historic ties are strong, cultural ties are even stronger and economic relations are vital."​

When quieried as to why should Wendmark seek further integration with the Wieser Empire more than a century after having seceded from her, the Foreign Affairs Minister suggested that things were not so simple. A further round of talks on increased cooperation with other neighbours that are Franken, Montelimar and the West Germanians is on the administration's agenda.

"Nobody is going to see the Free State suddenly hop back into the Wieser Empire," the Foreign Minister specified. "But increased cooperation can only profit our citizens on all levels. And not only with Wiese, but also with our other neighbours."​

The exact contents of the package remain to be revealed. According to what information is available, the two countries shall further increase border guard duties by creating a centre of competence for their respective border guard services. Cross-border police cooperation shall be reinforced by allowing the police forces of each side to enter the other side's territory when in hot pursuit of criminal elements. However, the apprehended persons would have to be handed over to local police authorities and be submitted to extradition procedures.

Headlines

Belmont-Marquette border drama goes on. After apparently reopening the border in sign of good will, Belmont threatened to deport hundreds of Marquean nationals. The DFA called for "restraint and dialogue to prevail in the name of regional stability".

No Wendmarkers amongst Wazi bus crash victims. The tourist bus crash claimed 54 lives. No Wendmark citizens were onboard, the DFA confirmed.

Army affirms itself in Danmark. For now with words. 15 senior military chiefs in Danmark urged increasing defence spending and going tougher on leftist trade unions.

 

[Serenierre]

Foreign Office

Belmont-Marquette border drama goes on. After apparently reopening the border in sign of good will, Belmont threatened to deport hundreds of Marquean nationals. The DFA called for "restraint and dialogue to prevail in the name of regional stability".

We must state that the Marquen nationals which stand to be deported are those arrested by security agencies in ties with Marquen based terror groups. We deem that they hold special interest for the Marquen government and the two governments have arrangements for extradition.

 

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WENDMARKER NEWS, WORLD WIDE​

To the North!

The Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that talks are underway with foreign counterparts on the modalities of the upcoming tour of the North by Landamann Walther Grauholzer. The current planned path of the tour shall include Franken, Tyskreich and Cornavia. During all three visits, economic ties would be discussed, particularly in the field of energy ressources. In Cornavia particularly the discussions would be centered around oil contracts between Cornavian and Wendmarker companies.

In Franken, however, the Landamann plans to also delve upon defence matters. The Wendmarker offer to the EDF to allow paid and conditional transit of military equipment and personnel through Wendmarker transport infrastructure has caused stormy debates in the Staatstag. The majority of the parliamentarians, however, do agree with the Administration that the move could bring additional profits to the Free State.

The Landamann is also expected to meet with VRL executives, in particular with the Managing Director Erich Lustig, at the holding's headquarters in Bamberg. Landamann Grauholzer is expected to discuss the options VRL has for the Free State's fleet of Tornado aircraft, as well as personally get acquainted with the Eurocopter Tiger and Eurofighter Typhoon products proposed by the holding as a means to upgrade and update the aeronautical capacities of the Wendmarker Armee.

 

[Batavië]

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If time permits, we humbly invite the Wendmarker Department of Foreign Affairs to send their delegation to Vlaanderen, where they will be warmly welcomed to discuss Wendmark-Batavië relations and relations with Scandinavia in general.

 

[Remuria]

Landamann's Office

A working visit by the Landamann Grauholzer to the Batavian Republic can be arranged in the near future, the time schedule permitting.

 

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WENDMARKER NEWS, WORLD WIDE​

Government approves EDF-Wendmark agreement on transit of military material and personnel

The Free State's government has today approved the agreement between the country and the European Defence Federation on the matter of transit of EDF military material and personnel through Wendmarker territory. The agreement concerns bilateral relations between the Free State and the EDF and does not extend to the EDF associated states that are not members of the organisation. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, each associated state (currently Belmont and Wiese) would have to negotiate separate agreements, which could use the EDF-Wendmark agreement as a basis. The main transit is expected to concern the movement of personnel and material from Franken in the north to the EDF allies in the south and the other way around.

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MP officers, here chatting with with Recon troops,
are part of the Military Security and are responsible
for enforcing law in the Wendmarker Army and the
Border Guard Corps

The transit of personnel and material shall be allowed through all transport infrastructure within the Free State. This means that airspace, railroads, highways and the Elbe-Saane* waterway shall be open to transiting vehicles and personnel, but on specific conditions. Convoys shall have to be declared and cleared in advance. All military convoys shall require escort by the mobile detachments of the Wendmarker military police. Munitions shall have to be transported stored and sealed outside of combat vehicles by means of transport trucks. All tracked vehicles, but also wheeled trucks above 40 tonnes shall be obligated to switch from road to rail or the Elbe-Saane waterway, the weight limit being the same as the one applied to civilian freight trucks, a point in the agreement the EDF negotiators insisted upon.

There shall quite obviously be no import and export tariffs on the transitting material, as it is not commercial merchandise. The case of transit of military equipment destined for export and selling to a third party is not covered by the agreement. The transport fees and heavy vehicle taxes levied on the transiting military vehicles shall not be the same as the ones for the civilian freight traffic. The increased fees shall account for the need of military police escort and for the expenses due to the logistical and technical assistance. Transiting personnel shall be subject to the military criminal code of the Free State of Wendmark and under the jurisdiction of the Wendmarker military police for the duration of their stay in the country. Transitting military vehicles shall be able to make overnight stops at Wendmarker military bases for rest and refuelling. If needed, vehicles shall receive technical assistance and servicing from the Wendmarker armed forces logistics specialists.

The agreement is seen by many specialists of Wendmarker politics as the government's way to balance the two dissenting opinions that dominate the political landscape, with a strong lobby for both joining the EDF and staying out of the organisation. The agreement establishes a high level of cooperation between the Free State and the EDF, but does not associate Wendmark to the alliance as foreseen by the EDF treaty. A provision in the agreement allows the Free State to suspend the application of the agreement should the EDF go to war, as to guarantee the continued neutrality of the Free State. However, any such suspension is not automatic and shall depend from the decision of the Wendmarker government. Each party to the agreement has the right to denounce it with a six months notification period, or terminate it immediately if both parties so agree.

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* OOC: The Elbe river is expected to flow all the way from Wiese and into Montelimar to fall into some sea. The exact modalities are still to be decided and agreed by the concerned players. The Saane is a river that would connect Franken to Wendmark. Maybe. Still to be decided.

 

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WENDMARKER NEWS, WORLD WIDE​

Headlines

Staatstag to ratify EDF-Wendmark Transit Agreement. Only the Saxon People's Party is expected to vote against the agreement. The other parties have already stated that they support the agreement. The Greens have expressed their satisfaction with the fact that military transit shall not escape the rules on environmental protection that apply to commercial and civilian freight traffic.

Wendmark and Wiese agree on trans-border police cooperation. The agreement, which will be signed into force in the coming weeks, foresees the right of each party's police forces to enter the other party's territory if in hot pursuit of a suspect. Detained suspects, however, are to be handed to the jurisdiction of the local police authority and proper requests for extradition filed. The new reinforced cooperation shall also see the border guard authorities of both countries establish a joint centre of competence in Nichtstein, Archduchy of Saxony.

 

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WENDMARKER NEWS, WORLD WIDE​

EDF-Tyskreich Feud leaves Wendmark wondering

The recent spat between the European Defence Federation and the Republic of Tyskreich on the matter of the hypothetical admission of Fulanistan into the EDF has left many in Einsiedeln wondering. Wondering whether the newly democratic Republic is not a bit far too overzealous in its goal of achieving global democracy and whether it is not targetting the wrong nations in a campaign many consider to be simply hysterical.

"Wendmark formed as a democratic and progressive state even before the Tyskens had their communist revolution which plunged them into red authoritarianism for a good deal of the past century," says Gustav Auer, of the Bern Institute of Strategic Studies. "The fact that a nation that has only twenty years ago shed the bonds of communism now sells her name as synonym of democracy is quite pretentious indeed."​

Some go even further, with Andreas Blocher of the Saxon People's Party calling the Tyskreich a "band of arrogant upstarts". "Where were they in 1848 when we fought for our freedom against the Emperor? Nowhere, we fought and won alone." The SPP, which is a minority party in the Staatstag, was formed by alpine peasant communities in the aftermath of the Treaty of Elbebruck which paved the way for Wendmarker independence. Its platformcalls for the union of the entire historic Wendmark (bits of which are nowadays in western Wiese) and of the Archduchy of Saxony into a single Freistaat Sachsen. Needless to say, a Wieser branch of the SPP never managed to form due to resistance from the local authorities.

"Fact is, Wendmark is an older and wiser democracy than Tyskreich," explains Gustav Auer. "Tyskreicher democracy is young and exhuberant. On the other hand, we free Saxons are historically far too alpine centered. We love it where we are and want it to remain that way. Aside from the SPP and their Freistaat Sachsen melodrama, Wendmark has historically not projected its policies outside of its frontiers by lack of interest to do so. Tyskreich, on the other hand, has historically been expansionist and spanned an overseas Empire. Nowadays, the goal of spreading democracy is the new vector in which the Tyskreicher thirst for action can be satiated. It is a form of ideological expansionism instead of a territorial one, if you'd like."​

Wendmark has had historically friendly relations with her EDF neighbours, having learned to live with them. Wendmark has even learned to live in peace with the Wieser Empire just next door, despite a history of bitter uprisings and wars. The recent mutually beneficial agreement on EDF military transit is testimony to the Wendmarker policy of having excellent relationship with her neighbours while still maintaining her complete independence and sovereignty. And whilst there is certainly desire to engage more with other truly democratic nations around the globe, there is also no desire to sacrifice relationships that were built over more than a century in favour of immediate flirts with young democracies still marred by the taint of communism in the eyes of the average Wendmarker.

The Free State shall have to tread a careful path. The government has already stated that it shall attend the summit of the World Democratic Forum, with the caveat that the organisation shall in the eyes of the Free State be treated the same as the Council of Nations should the WDF seek to supplant the latter's role in global international relations. Observers back in Einsiedeln shall watch carefully for what outcome the Forum produces.

 

[Remuria]

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WENDMARKER NEWS, WORLD WIDE​

Police presence on Danmark border reinforced

Following the dealy riots in northern Danmark and the introduction of the state of emergency in Nyborg, the Free State is reinforcing police presence on its common border with the Kingdom of Danmark. Additional elements of the Border Guard Corps, which has long since ceased to be a regular and formal military formation and now acts as the Free State's border police force under the orders of the Customs Service, are being redeployed from the border with Wiese to the South-East. The mobile Military Police shall also dispatch additional detachments to beef up the Border Guard Corps in the area. However, the national (civilian) police in border towns and villages shall not be reinforced.

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Military Police officers and officers of the Border
Guard Corps often cooperate on issues that concern
policing the Free State's border.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has already called the actions of the Ny Venstre activists as "completely unacceptable". The Free State has offered the Kingdom of Danmark its full support in investigating the deadly events and preventing the perpetrators of heinous criminal acts from escaping justice. "Wendmarker police stands ready to assist their Danish counterparts should any request for assistance be issued by the Danes," the statement of the Department of Justice and Police on the matter read.

 

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WENDMARKER NEWS, WORLD WIDE​

Headlines

Government issues travel warning in Freiheit-Sarmatian War.
Citizens are advised to abandon all travel plans to the Germanic Free State. Those on the ground can call the emergency numbers of the Wendmarker Embassy in Aquitania, which is responsible for handling matters tied to Freiheit. There have so far been no requests for evacuation. The government has stated that it is contacting friendly states with naval means to include Wendmarker citizens in any evacuation operation should such be launched.

Talemantros invades Akhaltsikhe
The Talemantine Empire has intervened militarily and overtly into the civil war raging in Akhaltsikhe. The conflict in the apartheid state risks generating into a major war involving much of Himyar as opposing interests of Carentania and Talemantros might clash in the area.

 

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WENDMARKER NEWS, WORLD WIDE​

Headlines

SVP incensed at Wendmarker attendance of Wieser celebrations. Andreas Blocher, of the Saxon People's Party, has subjected the Landamann Grauholzer to harsh criticism for the latter's intention to attend the birthday celebrations of the Wieser Emperor, who is turning 100 this August. "It is uncoming of the one who was chosen to lead the free Saxons to go pay tribute to the direct descendant of our former opressors," Herr Blocher stated during a press conference.

Wendmark considers SCR 13 "unhelpful". Whilst not a member of the Council of Nations, the Free State has called the wording of the Security Council Resolution 13 "unhelpful". The resolution is "not expected to contribute to Himyar stability". The Free State suspended relations with Akhaltsikhe due to the latter's apartheid policies, but has not so far recognised the government of Jurzan as the legal authority in the area.

Wendmark to provide help to an Otchi state once details are known. The Foreign Affairs Department has issued a statement in which the Free State expresses her readiness to provide assistance to the establishment of an Otchi state in what was the Germanic Free State. However, Wendmark expects concrete proposals and details before releasing any funds.

 

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WENDMARKER NEWS, WORLD WIDE​

Refusal to lift DNF ban not unconstitutional - Constitutional Court

The Free State's Constitutional Court (Verfassungsgerichtshof) has finally issued a ruling in the highly followed case of the ban affecting the German National Front (DNF) in Wendmark. The political party, third in importance in neighbouring Wiese, has been banned from operating in Wendmark on the grounds that its platform was "contrary to the essence of the Free State's constitution". The DNF's platform as it was promoted in Wendmark contained the veiled goal of stripping the Free State of her independence in favour of integration into a single "German" state.

Some political commentators have likened the ban affecting the DNF as Wendmark's response to the ban affecting the Saxon People's Party in the Wieser Empire. The SVP, which is popular in some alpine regions of Wendmark, is banned from operating in Wiese. The SVP is the only political party in Wendmark to continue promoting the goal of the 1848 revolution, that of a united and republican Freistaat Sachsen through a fusion of Wendmark with the Archduchy of Saxony following the latter's detachment from Wiese.

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Justices at Monrepos tried to clarify the procedural
twist that led to the latest lawsuit

The Constitutional Court had already ruled that the Free State's legal and constitutional system allowed derogations to the freedom of political expression if the political movement's goals were contrary to Wendmark's constitution or the universally accepted standards of human rights and liberty. The current lawsuit was filed by an initiative group following the refusal of the Department of Justice and Police to lift the ban affecting the DNF and its political platform. It was based on a procedural twist: the ruling on the legality of the DNF's ban ruled that the ban was within the bonds of the constitution. The government's competence to enact such bans or to revoke them was not directly concerned by the ruling.

The justices at Monrepos Palace have decided that the government had the competence to ban political parties and political platforms. This competence involved a counter-competence, which is to unban political parties and platforms. However, these competences were not arbitrary: the competence to ban was subject to judicial review by the Constitutional Court. On the other hand, any lifting of a ban could happen only after it was objectively proven that the banned organisation or platform was no longer contrary to the Free State's constitution or to the universally accepted standards of human rights and liberty.

In the present case, the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate that the conditions for the ban, which were recognised as constitutionally valid, were no longer applicable. The decision by the Department of Justice and Police to not give suite to the request to lift the ban did not violate the Free State's constitution and the freedom of expression.

 

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WENDMARKER NEWS, WORLD WIDE​

Headlines

Landamann Grauholzer to visit Batavia. The Foreign Affairs Department has confirmed that the earlier invitation by the Batavian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been accepted. Whilst the invitation concerned a ministerial level visit, both parties agreed to upgrade it to a working visit by the Wendmarker Head of State. The visit shall take place after the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the Wieser Emperor. Accompanying the Landamann shall be a delegation of Wendmarker business chiefs that shall meet with their Batavian counterparts. The Free State is ready to encourage private investments, but is not considering state to state assistance as of now.

Wendmark's Muslim communities to assist Jurzan. Whilst of diverse ethnic background, the Free State's 400'000 strong Muslim community came together to assist war-stricken Jurzan. According to Mustafa Ul, coordinator of the relief project, Wendmark's Muslim residents shall provide funds to buy products of basic necessity and medicine, which shall then be shipped to Jurzan. "We are currently in talks with several NGOs concerning distribution and delivery of the aid," Mr. Ul stated.

 

[Remuria]

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Wendmark worried by use of oil & gas in politics

The Free State is concerned by the Talemantine oil embargo upon the Kingdom of Belmont. The Foreign Affairs Department has released a statement qualified the embargo as an unacceptable use of vital commodities in geopolitics and has reiterated the Free State's consistent position that oil and gas should be traded in an open and transparent international market and not tied to political strings.

Insider sources at the Foreign Affairs Department have also reported unease with Greater Sarmatia's threats to decrease oil and gas supplies to Tyskreich, after the two nations fell out over the former 'Germanic Free State'. Greater Sarmatia is amongst the four major suppliers of oil and gas to the Free State, and so the unease is even further reinforced by the citing of two of Wendmark's closest trading partnets (Franken and Wiese) in the same list as Tyskreich.

However, the Free State shall wait to see whether the threat materialises in concrete actions before issuing any statement.

Wendmark does not have native deposits of crude oil and gas. Due to the extensive use of hydroelectric and nuclear energy, the share of gas required for the economy is lessened. Wendmarker companies are currently exploring opportunities for shale gas extraction in the Free State, with the results of the studies expected soon. Oil, however, remains a vital import and Wendmarker refineries completely depend upon the constant and uninterrupted supply of black gold. The four major suppliers of energy ressources to Wendmark are: Greater Sarmatia, the Commandry, Wiese and Cornavia.

Headlines

Two nude hikers fined for contempt for public decency.
The two hikers from Marquette were detained in the scenic Berner Oberland region while on a nude hike through the mountains. Local police were alerted by concerned hikers, who were themselves clothed. The pair have been warned to behave in accordance with Wendmarker laws and customs, lest more severe procedures be undertaken against them.

Negotiations under way for a test batch of Pumas.
The Wendmarker Armee is negotiating leasing a test batch of Puma IFV vehicles from Wiese to conduct trials. The tests would be part of the program seeking to replace the current Spz 2000 vehicles with heavier counterparts in the Permanent Readiness Brigades.

Niederhausern curious to see what Belomt has in store.
The Head of the Foreign Affairs Department has reacted favourably to the Belmontien initiative of holding talks.

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

His Majesty's Government

'Go, and remove the sackcloth from your body, and take your sandals off your feet.' And he did so, walking naked and barefoot. Then the L-RD said, 'Just as My servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot three years'

Isaiah 20:2-4

 

[Confederal Republics]

Ministry of External Affairs
Commonwealth of Cornavia

The Commonwealth has already expressed its criticism over the actions undertaken by the Talemantine government, and wishes to underline that decision by means of an unilateral proclamation stating that the Cornavian government will refrain from instituting such measures except at the urging of the Council of Nations or in the event of a war involving the Commonwealth.

In addition, the Commonwealth government makes specific assurances to Wendmark over the security of oil exports from Cornavia.

Regards,
Mr. William Fenner,
Minister of External Affairs

 

[Remuria]

Foreign Affairs Department

The Free State feels the Cornavian declaration can go a long way in helping to avoid panic on the international energy resources market and commends the Commonwealth for adopting such a consistent, rational and just stance on the matter. The Commonwealth has boldly taken the lead in the right direction and it is the Free State's hope that other petroleum exporting states adhere to this position. The Free State further values the strategic and economic relationship with the Commonwealth and is grateful for the particular reassurances that Cornavian oil exports to Wendmark shall remain secure.