The Propontis Summit (f.k.a. The Vascognie Summit)

[Pelasgia]

Hôtel de Charleroi, Vascognie, Neustria

Built in the 16th century to celebrate the foundation of Charleroi by Neustrian explorers, back when the prospect of a Neustrian colonial empire in Westernesse was fresh, exciting and (most of all) plausible, the Hôtel de Charleroi had been expanded and rebuilt several times since its original construction, changing uses with every new iteration. Originally the residence of the local royal governor, it had later come to house the local Parlement, and, with the Revolution, it had become the seat of the local judiciary, until it, too, was moved elsewhere. These days, it served the twin function of housing the Customs House and the regional Chamber of Commerce, due to its proximity to the harbour of Vascognie, one of Neustria's most important.

On this early day of November, however, the half of the semi-circular complex occupied by the Chamber of Commerce had been cleared of its usual occupants and turned into a fortress. From Vascognie International Airport all the way to the Hôtel de Charleroi, countless officers of the Gendarmerie royale, the Sûreté nationale and the Garde nationale guarded every corner and rooftop of the city, which would receive the delegations of a number of foreign nations on the brink of war. Inside, a Neustrian delegation headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Count Pierre André de Laroche, awaited, with a slight nervousness pervading the atmosphere.

Was it the knowledge that the Neustrian Royal Armed Forces, which had been on alert for months due to the ongoing war in Gallo-Germania, had now been placed on defensive readiness in the region around Vascognie, in case any of the large foreign military detachments in the region should try its hand at ambushing the delegations? Perhaps. For Count de Laroche, it was a more personal matter: this summit could very well decide the fate of Frescania, a place where he had worked and met his wife back when he had served as Neustria's European Forum head of mission for several years.

« Monsieur le comte, » came the cry from one of the Minister's attendants, as the foreign delegates began to trickle in. « Ils sont là. » ("They're here.") The Count stood up, straightened his lilac tie and headed for the entrance to welcome the successive delegations of @Angliarique , @The Federation , @Rheinbund and @Tianlong (as well as any others who might care to take up Neustria on its open invitation at the last minute), who would be led straight to the conference room, to avoid any individual scuffles that might derail the talks before they even started.

"Your Excellencies," Count de Laroche said, addressing those in attendance. "I thank you for your attendance here, and I hope that we can all work together to avoid armed conflict. I believe we are ready to begin."​

 

[Rheinbund]

The Von Walsrode family used to be a family of prominence. In the past, it possessed a large piece of land in the Sovereignty of Thorsringen, and it lived from the tenant paid by the farmers on its land. But the combination of a hailstorm destroying one year's harvest, a plant disease destroying the harvest of the next year and extremely bad investments pushed the family into bankruptcy towards the end of the 19th century. The family lost its lands, lost its prominence, but kept its title. Like five other noble families who underwent the same fate, the Von Walsrodes became professional diplomats. They were born and raised abroad, went to a boarding school in the Rheinbund at age 12, did secondary school, society service and university in the Rheinbund, did the traineeship for future diplomats in the Rheinbund, spent half their lives abroad, and retired again in the Rheinbund. A country that they hardly knew but represented during half of their lives.
This was also the life of the 70 year old Felix Herzog von Walsrode. And of his father, who at the end of his life saw House Walsrode gain some prominence again, albeit in an anachronistic way: One of his grandsons, Felix's younger son, got a relationship with one of the Rheinbund's sovereign princes. A story that was excessively exploited by the yellow press at that time and ruined Fürst Albrecht von Heidemar-Loorburg's chances on the Royal Crown four years later, but meanwhile was considered old news.
Three years ago, Felix Herzog von Walsrode retired. His last post was Tianlong, where he was the ambassador. He still acted as éminence grise on special diplomatic missions, despite his retirement. Like this one. He was the special envoy who leaded the Rheinbund's delegation, further consisting of Friedwin Heigl, Anika Drach and Stefanie Schildhauer.
Friedwin Heigl was a man in his 40s. He was from Tirolstein, which was hearable in his accent in German. Currently he worked as a government official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The 35 year old Anika Drach was the youngest member of the delegation. Just two months ago, she started at the European Forum as one of Richard Walsrode's assistants. But that was not her first post.
Then finally, Stefanie Schildhauer. She was the first secretary of the Rheinian Embassy in The Federation.

Clothing of a diplomat was a delicate matter. OK, a suit. But then. The colour: It can't be too bright, because that is frivolous; but it can't be too dark, either. Until the 1980s, the suits were mostly anthracite-grey. Nowadays, navy blue was also an option. And that was how the men in the Rheinbund's delegation were clothed. The Duke of Walsrode wore an athracite-grey suit, black shoes, a black belt, dark grey socks, a 150 years old watch on his left wrist, a white shirt and a plain grey tie. Friedwin Heigl wore a navy blue suit, black shoes, a black belt, dark blue socks, a white shirt and a plain dark blue tie.
The women in the delegation both wore suit-like combinations with white shirts. The suits were in the colour royal blue.

 

[Angliarique]

Wright Valery, a distinguished graduate of the imperial examination of 1970, started working for the civil service in 1971 holding the coveted and cosy position as Master of the Tea Ladies. He is the grandnephew of the current emperor Angliareich. And holds de facto authority over many foreign policy decisions. Within the service, he is revered and loved for his ability to navigate the bureaucratic complexities of government, and is believed to be on the same pacifist camp as Sir Lutoune, the FAC’s V.P.

On this fateful day, the Angliarique diplomatic contingent of six junior diplomats led by special envoy Wright Valery, entered briskly into the room where the Vascognie summit was soon to start.

Carrying himself in a prideful manner, he strutted towards the Angliarique seats. He sat down with a loud arrogant groan, as if impatient for the summit to begin. Perhaps fairly so he is to have such temper, as the flight from the Valerian Airforce base to Vascognie was plagued by noises so loud, he could not sleep comfortably. Moreover, it was not typical of him to shout orders at his subordinates, but he did. He snapped his fingers, clapped his hands, and tapped his feet. These inappropriate gestures and habits drew the attention of many people in the room. He made a horrible first impression from anyone’s perspective.

The meeting began, and Wright Valery rose from a slump position on his seat, to an upright posture of a respectable man. He began by muttering some words, unintelligible to the other delegates. He appeared to be unaware of what to say, as he scoured his desk flipping through his mountain of documents. After several minutes, he finally found his speech and began, to the relief of many delegates.

"Honourable delegates, envoys, observers, ladies, and gentlemen. It is on this day, that violence ceases as dialogue comes into play. The concerns surrounding the Frescanian Controversy have been noted by the Angliarique Permanent Government. My government agrees in principle that it is unjustified to harm any peaceful nation, and its inhabitants. But we find it important to be understood, that certain problems are reaching a peak whereby, the preservation of international peace is being undermined, and the states which so energetically propagate peaceful ideals are being, doubted. Of course, the Angliarique people do not seek war nor conquest, we can assure Europe that.

I thank the honourable foreign minister of the Neustrian Kingdom for approaching the Angliarique Permanent Government, in a commendable effort to find and reach a great resolution on the current controversy, amidst growing misunderstanding.

The security questions raised by Charleroi, Fehrbellin, Uicheon and other governments, over the peaceful deployment of a number of Angliarique’s naval assets to Frescania, is unjustifiable. Moreover, the open condemnation by certain governments against Angliarique for protecting its diplomatic personnel, is unwarranted. It is the standard operating procedure, for nations to secure the safety of their important personnel, by affording them the greatest protection possible. This is no different from a motorcade escort on the road.

Furtherstill, the harassment my government has received from various quarters of society due to this controversy, is a matter which makes it very difficult for major compromises to be made. However, It is the desire of my government that all parties present, reach a satisfactory agreement.

My government firmly believes, that it is in the best interest of the wider world that the status quo does not continue to worsen, and escalate into armed confrontation. Therefore, we are open to reducing the number of armaments onboard the escort vessels by fifteen-percent. We are also negotiable to the distance the escort vessels are, from the shores of Frescania. We hope that the delegates present, take up on our offer for compromise with a sense of realpolitik."

After the envoy's short address, he awaited for the other delegations to voice their opinions. Still in a slumped posture, with his feet on the table. ​

 

[The Federation]

David Yeager was enjoying his post as ambassador to Neustria, he enjoyed the good cuisine and relaxed lifestyle that was afforded to him at this posting. Now that lifestyle was being interrupted by the Federation calling upon him to represent them in these talks. His staff had hurriedly prepared him but now as he stood to speak he was stunned by the posture of Valery.

"To call these questions unjustifiable is certainly laughable." Yeager did not hold back, if Valery would be so disrespectful as to put his feet up on the table during these talks and act as if this were his own living room, then there was no need to pretend that there was a high level of respect here, better to be direct.

"The Federation does not sail it's fleet into the harbor of Frescania anytime the President or someone of his stature visits to make a speech to the assembly. Sure he brings his security detail, but his detail is not capable of seriously damaging a demilitarized zone, nor does his detail make nations sit up and pay attention as does the Federation Navy's presence might. We do not question the right of your government to protect it's important persons, what we question is this unnecessary display of power in a place that is reserved for peaceful dialogue. Did your nation's fleet sail into the harbors of Neustria for your visit? No of course not, that would be as ridiculous as sailing a fleet to another country in search of a dog."

"How did you end up here?" He asked rhetorically to Wright Valery "You flew of course! You may have even been afforded a detail of your soldiers to protect you from threats unknown. Lady Pembroke sailed in on a battle fleet to make a statement to the world, not because she needed an extra level of protection. I would even argue that by doing what you have done for Lady Pembroke's so called protection, you have put her in even more danger than if she had gone to Frescania completely unescorted. If you truly want peace, you would at a minimum take your fleet into international waters."

 

[Tianlong]

Shao Honghui was Tianlong's ambassador to Neustria. A second-order role, often chosen to end one's diplomatic career in peace in the warmest seas. Unfortunately his retirement plans were derailed by what he liked to call the mid-life crisis of a distressing reign.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my presence here is a sign of respect for the organizer of the summit, because the official policy of my country is not to negotiate with pariah states. Angliarique will be a pariah state in the eyes of the Uicheon government once their escort crosses the edge of the European Forum's territorial waters. Having said that, I join my dissent with that of the Federation representative, the requests and statements of having the need to move a fleet only for the safety of a single individual in the safest place in the world are absurd.

Under the same conditions, every time our President moves abroad should he move two hundred thousand men of the free navy and half a million soldiers for his personal safety? We will basically invade every country we have diplomatic relations with.

The arguments are so absurd and unreal that I really wonder if I heard them uttered by a diplomat of equal rank or by an infant."

 

[Pelasgia]

As the host, Count de Laroche found that he had to keep a certain air of neutrality, even if his government had openly condemned Angliarique's actions, leading to the withdrawal of the Empire's ambassador from Lisbourg. As the vestiges of Gallo-Germanian colonialism in Himyar seemed ready to unravel, and as the Kingdom was in the process of changing governments, he truly wished he could have been back in the capital, where he was sorely needed; alas, he tried his best to keep a serious tone, and to avoid making these thoughts obvious.

"I believe that, from all that has been said so far, it is clear that, on the one hand, Mr. Valery's Government is concerned for the safety of its delegation to the European Forum, and, on the other hand, the Governments of Messrs. Von Walsrode, Yeager and Honghui are concerned about the size of the force that Angliarique has assembled for the safety of the said delegation, judging it to be so out of proportion as to pose a threat to the European Forum itself. With this in mind, I would perhaps propose a solution: Angliarique could be allowed a smaller contingent, but larger than that that it presently possesses in the E.F., and the E.F. itself, with the help of all nations in attendance here, could contribute in the protection of Lady Pembroke until she returns home.

"I think that an entire naval fleet might be overkill, but perhaps a secure flight, escorted by a wing or two of fighter jets from Angliarique and nearby nations, could be arranged, to bring both Lady Pembroke and a small force of Angliarique elite troops to Frescania, while troops from the other E.F. nations are also on watch to protect the Angliarique leader during her sojourn in the international territory. That way, Lady Pembroke's safety would be assured, while the international and peaceable character of the E.F. Forum would be respected. Does that seem like a solution that would satisfy everyone here?"

As he spoke, his aides hastily drafted the basic strokes of an agreement to that effect, leaving blank spaces for the delegates to specify the size, origin and type of forces that would be allowed, should all parties agree.​

 

[Rheinbund]

Stiff upper lips. "Nichts anmerken lassen" (do not show your feelings or what you think). Angliareich may, or may have had, the reputation for that, but despite their directness, the Rheinians mastered that trick as well. It was impossible to see what the Rheinians thought about the inappropriate behaviour of Wright Valery. But they had their thoughts. Von Walsrode knew what kind of person Valery normally was; his bodily impression showed nothing, but inside his head the train of thought was running. It was not the first time that he saw this kind of behaviour from somebody on a diplomatic mission. Tarusans were infamous for their lack of manners, like many of the representatives of dictatorial regimes. Representatives of revolutionary groups were even worse. But Angliariqueans used to be different, especially Valery.
The Rheinian policy in such case was to uphold a good attitude, but in a way Von Walsrode liked the approach by his counterparts from The Federation and Tianlong. He realised though that such an approach is only possible when backed up by military power. Von Walsrode realised very well that the Rheinbund is not the kind of power that The Federation or Tianlong is. In Terms of sports, The Rheinbund was not one of the athletes, but one of the fans.

Herzog von Walsrode decided to be the good cop next to bad cops David Yeager and Shao Hongui.

"Mr. Valery, suppose the following. The Federation's highest diplomat to Angliarique is retiring. The Federation sends somebody to replace this diplomat, but sends in six carrier fleets as an escort. Would you consider that a ceremonial escort, or would you start making thoughts that The Federation might want to attack?" he asked. He waited a moment, and then continued.

"This is the reasoning of most governments in the world, even the most pacifist among them: When such an enormous fleet approaches your country, you cannot afford the thought that this enormous fleet won't do anything, so you bring your armed forces to the highest alert and let the alarm bells sound over all media, because an attack may be imminent. It can very well be that that enormous fleet has no plans to attack you, but even then a war can break out because either one of your soldiers or somebody at the approaching fleet looses their nerves," he said. Then he again left a short pause.

"That is exactly the reason why most countries do not send in hundreds of thousands of soldiers as a protective escort of a high government official on a journey. Apart from the costs, by the way.
It is completely understandable that you want to protect your representative to the European Forum, but it is unecessary and counterproductive to do so with hundreds of war ships. It is essential that you make clear to your King and your Crown-Prince that they risk getting the opposite of what they want to achieve," he said, and then again left a short pause.

"I think that His Grace Duc de Laroche made a very good proposal, although I have to mention that two wings of fighter jets would be the equivalent of around 100 planes. That may still be a bit overdone. Far less planes will do the trick as well.
For the amount of security personnel that Lady Pembroke can have in Frescania, I don't know if there are any treaties or regulations on that. But I don't think that countries will agree with Angliarique having a larger amount of security personnel than anyone else. Apart from that, attacking Lady Pembroke while she is at Frescania is as cowardice and heinous as an attack on Frescania by the Angliariquean Navy would be. The Rheinbund would not rest until the culprit was found, and at least publicly shamed, but preferably convicted," he finished.

 

[Thaumantica]

"The Federation's armed fleets sail wherever they please," the Thaumantican foreign secretary began, "and bankrolled merchants of the Rheinbund and Tianlong lobby any government through their reaching capital without shame."

Though Mitchell Stroud worried this Angliarissian backing was suicidal for the Thaumantic Order he sold it as best he could, adding: "Don't you know that the Tarusan Emperor was just assassinated? This is not a time to be lax in security for important state officials! Surely this is much, excessive, but if the European Forum does not wish to host a delegation that Angliarique deems necessary then they must revoke their status and invitation. For as the Rheinbunder noted there is no rule against what the Anglians have done, only your disapproval."

 

[Rheinbund]

"Mr. Stroud, it would be better if we remain on-topic. We are not talking about where The Federation sends its fleet to. We are not talking about lobbies at governments, either. We are talking about how a government perceives the sudden emergence of a large military force close to its borders," Herzog von Walsrode said neutrally.
"It would also be better if you don't twist my words around. Furthermore, it is inappropriate to downplay the concerns that many countries have when a gigantic fleet emerges at the borders of a demilitarised zone that was created as a place for countries to meet and discuss disputes before they result in wars. It is not the fault of the governments of The Federation, Tianlong, The Rheinbund, Neustria and many other countries that they fear an attack when Angliarique sends half its fleet to Frescania and sends messages to various governments to evacuate their missions from Frescania. It is your fault, and the fault of the government of Angliarique, that you don't understand how people perceive the emergence of a large fleet around Frescania and the message to evacuate your mission from Frescania.
Like I said, I don't know if there are limitations on the size of security forces that countries can have to secure their representatives in Frescania, but if there are none, then because it was left to the sensibility of the membercountries of the European Forum, in good confidence that the governments of the membercountries would understand that that it would be unwise to send in a force that would frighten up other countries. But if it is needed to bring clarity on this topic, we will bring in a resolution at the European Forum to set the maximum amount of security personnel."

 

[Angliarique]

After the Rheinian delegate had ended his back and forth with the Thaumantic side, Wright Valery turned his back to his fellow diplomats, and discussed the proposals put forward by the delegates present. After 40 long minutes or so, Wright Valery turned himself to face the delegates of the summit. Under a laboured breath whilst seated, he voiced Angliarique’s opinion albeit rather differently.

“Honourable delegates, I have heard your views on this very complex issue, and have contemplated every single one of them. To be frank, none of the proposals were satisfactory. And more so, many people here today seemed more concerned with lecturing my government on what is and what isn’t proper security protocol, than actually helping to create solutions to end this controversy.”

“I understand the concerns raised and emphasised by the Rheinian delegation, but I want to assure the governments that are deeply anxious, that such paranoia is unreasonable. As raised thankfully by the Thaumantic delegation, the recent string of military coups in a number of nearby countries, justifies the protection my incredibly visionary government has given for Lady Pembroke.” Wright Valery smirked, then continued.

“But of course, it is fair to say that some visions are blur. Though as the Thaumantic delegation has seemingly justified the presence of a large escort. I now see how such a mighty presence may influence the perceptions of the relevant stakeholders present here today. So, it is with a spirit of détente and humility, that I propose a completely original solution. I hope the interested parties will accept this compromise.”

Wright Valery then halted for a moment, to have a cup of water. He continued referring from a piece of crumpled paper from time to time.

“After careful consideration and discussion between me and my colleagues, we propose a new solution. For the withdrawal of the entire naval escort back into international waters 120 kilometres due south from Frescania, we seek for the complete cessation of monitoring on our escort fleet by the Federation and Tianese forces, and for their immediate withdrawal as well. As we understand that there’re concerns from delegates about our navy’s whereabouts, so we seek the Thaumantic Communal Order as a neutral party to help monitor the Angliarique escort fleet instead. To prevent future misunderstandings.”

“Although, my government still believes and maintains in principle that the presence of a large naval escort does not contravene set standards, and is the correct thing to do for security purposes. I still propose this compromise, as it has been created with the best interests of everyone in mind, and my government does not wish to see a whole new development of misunderstandings. If all parties are agreed, we shall put it in writing.”

As Wright Valery ended his brief speech, members of his diplomatic contingent began passing out documents detailing the conditions for withdrawal, to the other delegates.​

 

[Pelasgia]

(OOC: I will be moving this summit to Propontis, under the auspices of Exterior Secretary Theophrastos Phokas, unless anyone objects. It's still a neutral city in a neutral country, so I think it should work.)

 

[Tianlong]

Once again, a nation in Europe was trying to obtain by force what is not rightfully its. But this time the elections in Tianlong were upon us, and there was political will to replace the CETO leadership with a more ironclad policy than the previous one that was willing to come to terms with aggressive nations in order to preserve a supposed peace that it never arrived. Shao Honghui was also personally irritated by the bronze face with which the aforementioned governments allowed themselves to propose solutions to the problems they themselves caused. But this too was diplomacy.

"Honorable colleague, I am happy that you are listening to the advice of a nation that has deliberately chosen to no longer be part of the European Forum and ignores that of the nations that are part of the European Forum. This says a lot about how intent your government is on reaching a solution to the problem you are the cause of. Therefore we offer you a solution of our own. If the Angliarique fleet, or another military vessel, enters the territorial waters of Frescania even for just one minute, we will consider it an act of war and we will act accordingly. You are free to reach the European Forum like all other nations, by air, in order to carry out your diplomatic activities like all other members.

*The man rose from his chair*

I would like to make it clear, this was not a counter-proposal, this is what we would do now. Have a good day gentlemen."

Shao Honghui left the room.

 

[Angliarique]

“I am deeply disappointed that the Tianese chameleons have shown their true shade. The provocative language used by Shao Honghui clearly shows his government's contempt for international law. On behalf of my government, I condemn the Tianlong Republic's attempt to impose a blockade against my nation's escort fleet. Since, it is Tianlong’s aim to gain imperialism on the high seas, and not reasonable détente which is what I am here for, I see no benefit for prolonging my presence here. I once again condemn the Tianese blockade. We will react strongly to any form of armed attack, if so perptrated, against our still and always will be, peaceful navy. We will not allow foreign governments to violate and manipulate us. I thank everyone for their time.” Wright Valery replied sternly.

With the sudden exit of Shao Honghui from the summit, the Angliarique contingent began to feel the unseriousness of the other delegates, namely the seemingly arrogant Federation, and the provocative Tianese diplomats. Following the Tianese delegate’s approach, Wright Valery too left the room.

Wright Valery walked around to Mitchell Stroud, the Thaumantic foreign secretary, and gave him at pat on the back before leaving. Whispering, “You did well today, Mr Stroud. Worry not. I will handle this.”

 

[Pelasgia]

"It was worth a shot," Theophrastos Phokas said to one of his aides, shrugging. He then turned to the rest of the delegates. "Thank you for your attendance here, ladies and gentlemen. It is regretful that we were not able to come to a better solution, but it appears that the intransigence of the Angliarique Delegation left the international community with no other option but to return to square one: deterrence through force. I hope that the Angliarique Fleet will not dare to try the Tianese warning. Either way, the Empire stands with the European Forum."

He presented each remaining delegation with a few gifts that the Foreign Ministry had put together (mostly liquor and sweets, well beneath the threshold for disclosure in most countries) and thanked them for their time. Whatever happened, he hoped that all the shooting would stay as far away from the Propontine Straits as possible.​

 

[Rheinbund]

"Mr. Phokas, I want to thank you and the Pelasgian Empire for hosting this summit. It was essential to organise it, and your country took the initiative," Felix Herzog von Walsrode said. Out of politeness, he did not want to say what everyone knew: That the summit had failed.

"The only thing we can hope for now, is that the Angliariqueans come to their senses. If not, then the Rheinbund will stand with Frescania. Mr. Phokas, thank you for everything. I will go to the Rheinian embassy to inform my government."

 

[Thaumantica]

Foreign Secretary Officer Stroud stood and shook Valery's hand tightly as he left, offering one the sight of closeness with a smile, but whispering "Mark us Laird Valery: if violence is done by this naval group we will be your realm's executioner." His eyes tightened for a moment before opening wide along with a loud exclamation of "Yes sir! Our prayers are always with the great King Angliarique!"

To David Yeagar, from the Federation, pleasantries were exchanged along with assurance that the Order's disposition towards this situation would be communicated in the War Department of Charleroi.