Tyvia
Establishing Nation
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El Republicano
Publicado desde 1911, en Agusan del Norte,
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Zerbino's Travel Plans Revealed — The office of Chairman Zerbino, Commissioner for Justice and current head of the Executive Committee, has recently announced an expanded travel itinerary for the coming month, featuring several state trips which have drawn some concern and controversy from critics.
Chief among these are planned visits to Kadikistan, as part of an expanded tour of Gallo-Germania, as well as several states in in the Far Occident. In response to questions regarding whether it was Zerbino's intention to build new relations with either state, the Chairman only said that it was only his intention to “continue to maintain cordial relations”, and that snubbing either party would not be “good diplomacy”.
The Executive Committee has already approved Chairman Zerbino's plans, with the Council of Deputies likewise signing off on any necessary expenditures. It's expected that his trip will continue to build upon already existing friendships with other republics in Gallo-Germania, as well as foster new ones with more recent or nascent democracies further abroad. During his absence, Emmanuel Velez-Aquino, currently Deputy Chairman, will be serving as interim Chairman of the Executive Committee with the Chief of the Council of Deputies as a temporary sitting member to vote only in the case of ties.
However, critics have pointed out that the planned visit to Kadikistan in particular sets a potentially dangerous precedent.
“The Chairman should be ashamed to even set foot in that country,” stated a representative of the Old Form Coalition. “It grants legitimacy to what by all rights should be considered a dangerous and rogue state.”
Others have pointed out that Andaluz should take up a more active position in the international community, particularly with regards to some of the boiling points and conflicts in Gallo-Germania. As it stands, however, neither Chairman Zerbino nor Commissioner Velez-Aquino have made known any intentions on their part to radically alter the standing foreign policy of the current Executive Committee.
Deputy Chairman Velez-Aquino, as the Commissioner for the Exterior, has stated that he has “high hopes” for the Chairman's trips, and that he “looks forward” to “communicating further” with his opposites in certain other states.
“It's of paramount importance that Andaluz continues to cultivate good relations with states like Engellex, Justiza, and others – where we have historic interests, as well as very real modern ones,” he added.
The itinerary, if followed as intended, will be historic in that it will mark the first time an Andal head of state has visited either the Far Occident or Kadikistan.
The Esperanza Formally Retired — The Esperanza, oldest of the warships in service with the Commonwealth Fleet, was retired earlier today in a simple ceremony at San Agustín. The venerable vessel was formally struck from the Fleet's active roster by Admiral Rodrigo Silguene, and accepted by the city of San Agustín by its mayor, Emanuel Zaro. As part of a federal plan to rebuild and revitalize the city's waterfront, much of which was lost or damaged in last year's earthquake, the Esperanza will serve as a museum and important historical landmark that will hopefully attract visitors from both Andaluz and abroad.
Uniquely, San Agustín has been empowered with a charter by the Council of Deputies to assume extraordinary powers to both maintain and partially crew the Esperanza. Though the battleship has been removed from the active roster, it will remain on the reserve roster for at least twenty years and must thus remain at a minimal level of readiness. In practice, however, all this means is that a skeleton crew must remain aboard at all times and regular maintenance performed. No live munitions are required to be aboard, nor does the vessel need to partake in the same in-service drills or maneuvers that active duty vessels are required to. After the twenty years period has expired, the Esperanza will be ceded in full to civilian control and be fully decommissioned and struck entirely from the Fleet's ledgers.
The Esperanza is the last of the Austeridad-class battleships, first commissioned during the early years of this century as all navies sought to build new ships in the dreadnought mold. She served ably (and most notably) in the War of the Main, though rapidly became outclassed and outdated as new types of battleships were pushed into service a scarce five years after she was laid down. However, whereas other Austeridad-class vessels were pushed out of service or scrapped outright, the Esperanza remained active as the flagship of the Littoral Squadron – though largely in a ceremonial role as she grew older.
Many are excited about the planned museum. For many citizens, it offers an opportunity to gain some insight into the internal world of the Commonwealth Fleet. They will be able to see how sailors live on a day-to-day basis, and come to understand just a little bit better what goes into making a military vessel properly function.
The only criticism has come from conservatives that question the decision of the Council of Deputies to imbue San Agustín with special powers. Some have claimed that it's a subtle jab at the existing federal structure, and is dangerous for authorizing a non-federal entity to maintain a standing military force, however minor.
Much of the other reconstruction work has progressed fairly well, and the Esperanza will remain moored by the northern quay where the retirement ceremony took place until the pier to accommodate it is finished.
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