The Times of Vangala

[Polesia]

THE TIMES of VANGALA

The Times of Vangala was founded in 1878 as the Chingrikhali Times and Journal and Commerce as an English-language newspaper for businessmen operating in Vangala's busiest port city. Internationally recognised for journalistic excellence, it has since relocated from Chingrikhali after pressure from the Communist Party of Vangala and is now based in Bengaluru, Khalistan. ​

 

[Polesia]

THE TIMES of VANGALA​

Sultan of Hajr finishes visit to Vangala

As the three-day state visit ends, we examine the history of relations between Hajr and Vangala, look to the present and ask what does the future hold for these two nations?

By Sumit Sarkar

Sultan Huseyn ibn Saad al-Taimur ended his historic trip to Vangala yesterday on the steps of the House of Vangala standing alongside President Moheen Chatterjee, delivering a message of solidarity with the Jurzani people to a crowd of selected journalists. As the Sultan departed from President Chatterjee's private airport en route to Al A'raf, he had left ties between Hajr and Vangala at their strongest since Hajr recognised Vangala's independence from Franconia.

The first links between Hajr and Vangala go centuries back, when Muslim missionaries and sailors first arrived in Vangalan ports in search of converts and exotic goods. Soldiers soon followed and much of modern-day Vangala became part of the ever-expanding Caliphate. The immense influence Hajr had on Vangala's culture cannot be understated. Many of Kilkila's greatest mosques have their origin in this period. Vangalan has dozens of loanwords from the Urodi language. Vangala then followed Hajr into servitude under Franconia, although Vangala did not become free until much later.

Yet for most of both countries' modern history, relations have been tense and strained. The Sultanate was avowedly anti-communist and after the Communist Revolution in Vangala, accused the newly formed People's Republic of supporting nationalist rebels in Kirwan. The fierce atheism of the Vangalan Communist Party also brought the two countries to blows, with Hajr protesting against the looting of Mosques, destruction of Sufi saints' shrines and imprisonment of Islamic scholars and clerics. Kilkila in turn suspected Hajr of supporting Islamist movements within Vangala and the years of Hajri rule featured heavily in propaganda.

A change in attitude came in the early 1990's, when the winds of change were blowing through Europe. President Rahul Ghosh had announced the 'New Way to Socialism' , leading to free-market experimentation, minor political liberalisation and a more moderate foreign policy. Sultan Huseyn, newly enthroned, dropped anti-communism as a core component of Hajri foreign discourse. The relationship between Hajr and Vangala began to stabilise and common ground was being found.

The meeting between Sultan Huseyn and President Chatterjee continued and solidified this trend. After exchanging symbolic and expensive gifts, the two leaders smoothed over areas of contention. The President agreed to ease restraints on Islamic charities and NGO's operating in Vangala and lift restrictions on pilgrims travelling on the Hajj and to shrines and in return the Sultan promised better treatment for the many Vangalan migrant workers in Hajr. Support for each other in the Council of Nations and on the world stage in general was also guaranteed, as was closer collaboration in the fight against Islamic extremism.

However the most important developments were not these informal promises or the exchange of presents, but the trade agreements signed. Laying the foundations for greater trade and investment, this decision will reap the most benefits. Furthermore, Vangala got a concrete agreement on oil supplies and with the war in Himyar sending prices skyrocketing, this news will be received well by many Vangalans.

There is a strong optimism about the future of Hajri-Vangalan relations on both sides but obstacles remain. In spite of the show of unity over the crisis in the Jurzan, the Jurzan may trip the new friends up. While Hajr may have reneged on its stridently anti-communist days, it will not appreciate a new Communist state in what it considers its backyard and with Vangala's ally Carentania having strong influence in the nascent Jurzani state, it is a strong possibility. Kilkila is also looking increasingly to Himyar for new friends. The brutal suppression of the rebellion in Jizhou by the Oikawan Empire dashed hopes in Vangala of a new order in the East, shaped and led by the People's Republic. Alleged links between the Vangalan Communist Party and left-wing movements in Fulanistan is an example of growing Vangalan involvement in the southernmost continent.

Fundamentally, the leadership of both countries is dominated by pragmatists, with fervent ideologues sidelined, and it is this fact that means the newfound friendship will remain largely intact. Vangala may step on Hajr's toes and Vangala find Hajr outmoded, but solutions will be found. A formal alliance is unlikely, but a strategic partnership with co-operation in areas of shared interest is happening and with Himyar fast becoming a hotbed of activity, this axis will prove one of the most dynamic in Europe.

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