Kalistan

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Her Imperial Majesty welcomes Zardic Ambassador
Will dispatch Ambassador within a Month
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
November 17, 5588


Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Carolina I Ananto meets with Zardic Ambassador Flora Mielango in Kaliburg

Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Carolina I Ananto received the Credentials of Zardic Ambassador Extrordinaire and Plenipotentiary, Her Excellency Flora Mielango this week at Wilson House in Kaliburg. The new Zardic Ambassador to Kalistan met in formal audience with Her Imperial Majesty for 30 minutes, along with Chancellor of the Empire Dame Dianne Bolton and Her Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister Sir Christopher Bjorksdattir. All Formal Audiences are strictly confidential, but following the audience, Her Imperial Majesty and Her Excellency, Ambassador Mielango sat for photos in the Library. There will be a welcome dinner this evening at Wilson House, which Her Imperial Majesty has invited Ambassador Mielango to, where they can have tea and get to know one another less formally.

Sir Christopher Bjorksdattir fielded questions from the press.

With regard to the topic of conversation, Sir Christopher said, "It was mostly the normal formalities, of course. Her Imperial Majesty asked the Ambassador to present her credentials, the Ambassador provided them to the Chancellor who presented them to the Empress; she read them, and so forth. Her Imperial Majesty usually gives a welcome speech to those Ambassadors who are delivering their credentials, and in this one, she emphasized the newness of the relationship between Kalistan and Zardugal, expressed her hope that despite ideological difference which might exist between Kalistan and Zardugal, that the two nations can be friends and find excuses to work together, and that she is prepared to open Kalistan to new cultural and trade opportunities with Zardugal."

When asked if the Ambassador had anything questions of Her Imperial Majesty, Sir Christopher answered "No, she wasn't really invited to ask questions. Formal audiences are usually designed for the Empress to listen to the person in audience. The Zardic Ambassador expressed her greetings to Her Imperial Majesty on behalf of her own Government, and said that Zardugal is on the precipice of new economic growth in manufacturing and shipping, and hopes the Anantonese Empire will pay more attention to western Majatra. She said that in many ways, the export oriented emphasis in both Zardic and Kalistani economy is similar and she feels that the two nations have a lot in common and a good foundation to build upon."

When asked if the Chancellor asked any questions, Sir Christopher responded, "Her focus was primarily on logistics. Zardugal has never had, to anyone's knowledge, an embassy in Kalistan. But several locations have been selected for Her Excellency to pick from, all of which should serve her and her staff's needs quite well. The Zardic Ambassador has been provided a town house less than five minutes' walk from two of the four possible sites, and may choose other accommodations if the ones provided do not suit her. She scheduled a review of the security procedures and asked when the remainder of the Zardic Embassy staff would be in country, so she could arrange for them to be similarly situated in comfort and convienience."

And did the Foreign Minister have any questions? Sir Christopher Bjorksdattir responded, "I wanted to check where Zardugal stood on Kundrati, since that area seems to be concerning to every sane nation on the globe. Zardugal, like Kalistan, openly rejects the fascism in Kundrati, and Zardugal was hurt by the rise of fascism in Kundrati, so we wanted to get a head start working together on the issues that are happening there. I'm not at the moment fully briefed, because our meeting was quite short during the Audience. But we got enough to give us a good idea of where Zardugal stands, and to move ahead. I will be meeting with Her Excellency several more times over the coming months so there will be plenty of time for chit chat then."

Asked about reciprocation of the Embassy, Sir Bjorksdattir said, "The Empress will announce her decision for Ambassador shortly: We are still getting the Consulate set up there, and they will then do the ground work into finding an Embassy building. Meanwhile, Her Imperial Majesty, has authorized me to say that she has narrowed the candidates for Ambassador down to three, Sir Harold Green, of Vrassa Free City, Mde Helen Alvarez, who is related to her cousins, and Sir Zachary Nelson. All three are counted as life peers of Her Imperial Majesty, and as such are qualified to serve in the role of Ambassador. Two of those three have career foreign service records, and all are fluent in Augustan. In addition, Sir Nelson has been working with the Zardic Consular Mission to get the Consulate Set up, and is already in country. But Her Imperial Majesty will make her final decision just after the new year."

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Royal Couple makes announcement about Crown Prince
Genetic Disorder will ultimately leave future Monarch Deaf
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
January 14, 5589


Prince Consort announces Crown Prince's hearing loss

Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Carolina I Ananto and His Highness, Crown Prince William Ananto-Sandoval announced today that the future Emperor of the Anantonese Empire will be completely without hearing by the time he is 16 years old.  His Highness, the Minor Prince Fredrick Ananto Sandoval, who is currently eight year old, suffers from a rare genetic disorder which is causing his hearing to fail.

"Our son, the Crown Prince, is suffering from progressive hearing loss," said His Highness the Prince Consort.  "It is a genetic disease called Cochlear Degeneration.  It usually happens as a result of trauma, but in our son's case, it is a genetic malfunction that will eventually take his hearing from him."

The Prince Consort, described the prognosis for the Minor Prince Fredrick.  "He has already lost an estimated 45% of his hearing.  We will be able to fit him with hearing aids and these will buy him a few years, but even with the best technology we have available, Fredrick will have lost all of his hearing within about 8 years.  The silver lining is we now have almost a decade to begin learning sign language so that even if he loses the ability to hear, he will not lose the ability to communicate."

The Prince Consort said that he and the Empress are in the process of interviewing tutors that will begin teaching both Fredrick directly and the entire royal family, how to communicate via sign language.  "We would ideally want someone who will will also be able to teach him to read lips," said Prince Consort William.  "This may be a useful skill that will help him compensate for his lack of ability to hear when spoken to.  Since he has learned to speak while he can still hear, he will not lose much of his ability to speak after losing his hearing, but learning to read lips as well as hands will allow him to live as normal a live as possible, all things considered."

The Empress did not comment at the press conference, but she maintained a dignified posture throughout.  More emotion was seen on the face of the Prince Consort, who seemed resigned, but resilient.  "Unfortunately, there is nothing more that can be done.  We have looked into an implant which would allow him to simulate electrical stimulations to the hearing centers of his brain, but the issue is in his brain itself.  The neurologists assure us that this will be limited to the hearing center of his brain, but modern cochlear implants are not an option for the Crown Prince.  It's just something that he has lived with his entire life, and is now finally experiencing to the degree that we noticed it."

The Prince Consort added at the end that Her Highness the Minor Princess Michelle Ananto-Sandoval is not experiencing the same sort of genetic disorder, and will be able to keep her hearing.  "Little Michelle has said she will help the Crown Prince," Prince Consort William said with a smile.  "We are thankful for that."

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Her Imperial Majesty Names Ambassador to Zardugal
Lady Holly Clement-Ananto is Career Foreign Policy Analyst
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
April 19, 5589


New Ambassador to Zardugal, Lady Holly Clement-Ananto leaves for Majatra this week

Her Imperial Majesty has named career Foreign Policy Ananlyst Lady Holly Clement-Ananto to the post of Ambassador Extrordinary and Plenipotential for Zardugal.  The posting of the new Ambassador was delayed for a few month, due to the Empress' initial choices all being disqualified for a number of reasons.  Her first choice decided to refuse the appointment due to a desire to begin a family, and the second place name on the short list had recently been dismissed from their post in the Foreign Ministry for inappropriate relations with subordinates.

Following the disqualification of Her Imperial Majesty's initial short list, she asked Sir Christopher to cast a broader net and consider those who possessed specific skill sets which would be useful in improving relationships with not only Zardugal, but with the broader region.  "Her Imperial Majesty asked me to consider someone who might know more about the Jelbosphere and Western Majatra in general, as well as one who is knowledgeable about Zardic society, politics and economic specifically," said Her Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister, Sir Christopher Bjorksdattir.  "The Empress wishes to make our outpost in Zardugal a main hub of diplomatic expansion in the region, which is a significantly larger role than the Embassy was initially intended."

Lady Clement speaks fluent Augustan, which, according to Sir Bjorksdattir, is a fairly specific skill set in Kalistan.  The thirty one year old analyst, who is distantly related to the royal family, but holds not noble title outside of a Land Barony under the Rural Land Act in Vrassa, first became interested in Majatran politics after attending one of the Jelbic Cultural festivals in Port Swedes as a girl.  From there she learned both Jelbic and Augustan, studying both both during her time in the NSP and then in college.  She took a job with the Foreign Ministry, and rose to the top of the Majatran Desk in a few short years due to her diligence and innovative policy approach.  "Lady Clement is behind many of the decisions which are designed to build positive relations between Ananto and Majatran nations," said Sir Bjorksdattir. "She is a Zardophile to some degree, and this posting represents something of a dream come true for her.  Her Imperial Majesty praised her enthusiasm for the posting, and said she believed that Lady Clement will perform her service in the Majatran Republic admirably."

Lady Clement leaves for Zardugal next week, and will join the Anantonese Consular Staff in Fajroturo, the capital City of Zardugal. She is hoping to meet with Director of the Executive Committee Lisergio Surfungo within the next month to present her credentials and begin working as Her Imperial Majesty's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotential to improve Ananto's Standing in both Zardugal and in Western Majatra.

[GreekIdiot]

Beiteynu
Ambassador to Kalistan expresses concerns on the safety of the Yeudi People after Lodamun's withdrawal from the Neset
April 5589
https://forum.prtcy.com/thread-3-post-3152.html#pid3152

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Sir Christopher addresses Beiteynese Concerns
Lodamun seeks to maintain unique course within Empire
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
May 5, 5589


Sir Christopher Bjorksdattir explains Ananto's position to Beiteynese Envoys

In light of the recent Beiteynese visits to Kaliburg, Her Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister, Sir Christopher Bjorksdattir met with the Majatrans to ensure them that there is no change with regard to the Yeudi people in the Anantonese Empire.  He sat down with The Kalistani Republic to give a public briefing of the meeting.

"Choosing to not participate in an economic agreement in no way signals a change in cultural attitude between two nations," said Sir Bjorksdattir.  "There haven't been any threats within the Anantonese Empire against Yeudi people, either individually or as a group, and we weren't entirely sure where the concerns from the Beiteynese Representatives were coming from, considering Lodamun left the Neset Agreement almost a decade ago."

Bjorksdattir noted that Kalistan itself is not a member of the larger organization of the Neset, but maintains a bilateral friendship treaty.  "It is interesting to us that Beiteynu would be concerned that Lodamun left the agreement a long time ago, and yet, Kalistan has never been a member of the Neset, and it has not affected our two nations relations at all.  Lodamun has expressed a desire to be able to continue to operate on its own terms with foreign nations, and Her Imperial Majesty has made it clear that their unique approach would be acceptable in Kaliburg, so long as it did not put Anantonese National Interests at risk.  As such, she fully encourages Lodamun to continue to manage their own individual relationship with Beiteynu and other Third Point nations as they have, and Kaliburg can offer to negotiate if there are any disputes."

But Bjorksdattir stressed that Ananto considers Kalistan and Lodamun to be linked in foreign affairs.  "Her Imperial Majesty will always come down on the side of one of her Constituent Nations.  There may come a day when our foreign policy is more unified, but today is not that day.  She will not, under any circumstances, stand against what one of the Crown Lands wants to do.  The trade off is, however, that the Crown Lands should always consult with Ananto before there is a major change in policy, so Her Imperial Majesty may be aware of the situation before decisions are made, and so that she may work out how to ensure that Ananto's interests are met as well.  After a decision is made in private between one of the Constituent Nations and Kaliburg, that becomes the policy of the Empire, and Ananto will back both Lodamun's and Gaduridos' plays to the degree that they invite Her Imperial Majesty to do so."

Sir Bjorksdattir also noted that there are good reasons for Lodamun to have left the Neset when it did.  "Her Imperial Majesty was not part of Lodamun's decision to leave the Neset, but she believes she could understand why they would have.  When Lodamun joined the Empire, Her Imperial Majesty applauded the move because Lodamun's accession strengthens North Seleya vis a vis the rest of Terra, many nations of whom have pushed Seleya around for far too long.  Therefore, it is not totally unfathomable why Lodamun would leave the Neset, which was an arrangement by and for the Beiteynese Government (as seperate from the Yeudi diaspora which is a completely separate issue all together, a fact that has been repeatedly reinforced to successive Kalistani Emperors and Empresses over the years), or the Luthorian Commonwealth, for that matter, or any other multi lateral agreement that no longer serves Lodamuun, either as an independent nation or as a Constituent part of the Anantonese Empire."

Sir Bjorksdattir also acknowledged Beiteynese concerns for the safety of Yeudi People within the Empire.  "We shouldn't have to keep saying this, as in, it should be taken as a fact, but, the Yeudi people, and Yeudi businesses, and those who follow the Yeudi Faith of its various permutations, whether Liberal, Reform, or Orthodox, are fully welcomed in the Anantonese Empire, without prejudice.  We expect of them the same that we expect of our own citizens: there is no religious discrimination against those who happen to be of the Yeudi Faith, there is no cultural discrimination against those who happen to identify as Yeudi people culturally.  Her Imperial Majesty expects that the Yeudis shall be treated within the Anantonese Empire the exact same way we would expect those citizens and subjects to Her Imperial Majesty will be treated within Beiteynu, without remainder or exception.  And we do not require constant reassurance that Beiteynu will not conduct pogroms against our Citizens because Her Imperial Majesty assumes that the good relations we have fostered with the Yeudi Diaspora over the centuries is worth something at least within Beiteynu, so we hope this settles the question about 'safety of the Yeudi People' that my Beiteynese counterparts broached when they were here to discuss matters."

Sir Bjorksdattir reiterated that Her Imperial Majesty would welcome any invitation to serve as mediator in any documented disagreement between Lodamun, Kalistan or Gaduridos and Beiteynu, "especially if it will help prevent a war," said Sir Bjorksdattir.  "That said, it is also probably time that Beiteynu and other third point nations acknowledge that the situation in Seleya has changed, and neither Majatran, not Artanian Nations set terms for nations anywhere on this continent any longer.  Coming into discussions with that understanding set firmly in the minds of our foreign colleagues will be very helpful in maintaining healthy and friendly relations with Seleyan states going forward."

Sir Bjorksdattir added that Her Imperial Majesty would welcome a team of Beiteynese archaeologists to Kalistan to inspect and authenticate the origin of the mysterious gem which has been in the possession of Her Imperial Majesty since her coronation and which is said to have come from The Empress Pavlina's Kundrati relatives among the Hulaneveks.

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Crown Prince begins to learn Sign Language
"An International Sign Language Convention may be needed" says Minister of Culture
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
June 12, 5589


HH Crown Prince Fredrick William Ananto-Sandoval with tutor Helen Miller at Wilson House

The Royal Family has retained the services of a tutor, Miss Helen Miller, who will work with the family to begin learning Sign Language.  Miss Miller, age 30, was previously employed in the languages section of G2 IBSI, where she worked as a signals analyst monitoring transmissions from Artanian and Majatran television and radio.  She is fluent in six languages, and can both make signs in four of the six and read lips in three of the six languages.  The Royal Family has welcomed Miss Miller to take up a guest house in the Wilson Hill Neighborhood of Kaliburg, and she will begin providing classes to both His Highness and the rest of the Royal Family starting in July.

"Her Imperial Majesty Empress Carolina I Ananto and His Highness the Prince Consort William Ananto-Sandoval were pleased with the search for a new tutor for the Crown Prince," said Her Imperial Majesty's Minister of Education and Culture, Mr. Omar Jackson.  "The list of candidates was extensive, but ultimately, the Royal Family chose a candidate who could easily learn languages, who could speak several and who could also instruct the Crown Prince in the techniques of lip reading in Vrassan, Egelian, and Dundorfian.  These languages, all of which Miss Miller speaks fluently, and reads lips in naturally, will come in handy for the Crown Prince as he grows up and slowly loses his hearing."

The Cultural Minister was on hand for the announcement, as her office, a newly creator Royal Tutor position, exists as part of his ministry.  "Miss Miller has never taught before, but she had a natural easiness around the Crown Prince that shows that they would work well together.  Many of the candidates failed in this regard:  Many of the failed prospective candidates were far too formal, but Miss Miller has an easy going way about her that puts the Crown Prince, who is otherwise very self-conscious about his hearing difficulties now that they have been identified, more at ease and willing to learn as people attempt to talk with him about the things he will face."

Mr. Jackson said that Miss Miller has already introduced him to the rudiments of the alphabet.  Luckily, His Highness the Crown Prince was not deaf from birth, so he has both heard and recited the alphabet hundreds of times and can read at slightly higher than grade level.  This will be an immense benefit as he begins to not only spell words, but also learns signs for whole words.  "Miss Miller also will give him practice lessons to learn to recite by rote, so that he gets to feeling natural about signing, and speaking with both his hands and his voice," said Minister Jackson.

By far the hardest part about the transition to sign language in the royal household will be to teach Her Imperial Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince.  "Adults are more difficult to teach"  said Minister Jackson.  "Children have malleable minds.  For example, after a couple weeks, Her Highness Princess Michelle, who is only 6, can already sign half the alphabet, just by watching the Miller teach her brother, but adults tend to be busy and don't have much time to practice, and picking up sign language is more difficult.  But Her Imperial Majesty and His Highness are both committed to learning for the sake of being able to communicate with their son, and will go through intensive education, both with Miss Miller and also with other tutors who specialize more in sign language for adults."

Minister Jackson also said, "Another issue with learning several languages is that, like the spoken language, signing is often different depending on where the speaker comes from.  The sign for House, for example is not the same in Kalistan as it is in a place like Dundorf.  This comes from each country developing a standard that works for them, but there is no international Convention for sign language--Something like that is badly needed, but nobody has developed anything close to a full language yet that allows for universal understanding.  So Miss Helen Miller will probably focus on teaching the entire family Vrassan, but will also work with the Crown Prince to speak Egelian, Dundorfian and Canrillaise in sign language.  These langauges should cover a good portion of the world.  And if, when he is older, he wants to pick up Jelbic in sign language, it is likely he will be able to find a new teacher.  Unless the world can work together to develop a common sign language alphabet and vocabulary, this might be the best that can be done for him."

Minister Jackson concluded his remarks by saying "The Family is optimistic about Miss Miller.  They believe that she will be able to help the Crown Prince retain the ability to effectively communicate into adulthood, when it is expected that he will be almost completely deaf, and expressed how fortunate they are that they can get help like this to assist the Crown Prince."  The the Minister Smiled.  "The side benefit is that the Minor Princess will also be invited to learn along with the Crown Prince and will be as fluent in all these languages as the Crown Prince will be."  The Minister noted that the sign language classes would not interrupt the Crown Prince's normal studies.

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Her Imperial Majesty Announces Reorientation
"Focus Should be on Anantonese Region", says Empress
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
November 12, 5589


Her Imperial Majesty Speaks before National Assembly

In a not completely unexpected announcement, Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Carolina I Ananto called Kalistan's recent interventions into the Kundrati affair "a disaster for Kalistani Interests in the region" and vowed to focus her efforts closer to home. Below is an excerpt from Her Imperial Majesty's Address to the National Assembly.

With regard to Artanian affairs here, we do acknowledge that our response to that crisis was injurious to Kalistani interests in the world. We are currently speaking through back channels with the Government of Luthori concerning Likatonia, and it is our intention, assuming we receive the correct signals from Ft. William, to unilaterally drop the Anantonese Embargo against Likatonia. Whether they change their policy toward the Empire or not. We will also communicate to the Luthorian Government that if Likatonia is interested in re-establishing normal relations as a first step to ensuring that there is more regular and productive communication between the Imperial Government and their government, that is something that we would be interested in.

This change in stance is part of a reorientation of our Foreign Policy away from the internecine and seemingly interminable conflicts that both arise within Artania and are sent to the rest of the world by them. We can candidly say that attempting to influence events in Kundrati has been an unmitigated disaster for our Empire and a black spot on our otherwise decent record in foreign affairs. We will still maintain the sanctions against Kundrati for their embrace of fascism, but otherwise, we have decided to follow the Nationalists' advise in our National Legislature, and forego further involvement in Artania on any terms that are not explicitly favorable to the Empire.

While we re-orient, it is also our interest to begin to organize the Imperial Assembly. The Assembly will consist of representatives from each of the Constituent Nations who will be charged with meeting and offering us guidance on International Affairs. We feel as if, in some instances, Our Policy as Empress of Ananto and Kalistan has served to drag the Other Constituent Nations into things that they did not wholeheartedly support. And at the same time, our Constituent Nations could end up dragging Kalistan into a fight which is not of its own making. It is our considered opinion that none of the the Governments that operate under the Imperial Banner want that to the case, in anything. We believe that Lodamun should not be compelled to support something that it wouldn't support if it was Independent, just like we feel that Lodamun should not be able to compel Kalistan to support something that it would not similarly support if the two nations were not joined in the Empire.

The Imperial Assembly should meet, as per the terms laid out in the Articles of Empire, in Ciudad Gaduri, and should be a standing body of deliberation and discussion. And while nothing binds us to follow the considered decisions of that body, nonetheless we shall be able to see the feeling of the Constituent Nations in this Empire and will be able to use this as guidance for our own policy. We would like this body to operate as a supranational institution to ensure that all of our Constituent Nations have a voice in affairs that touch our entire Empire. And we hope that our Constituent Nations will take it seriously, use it for the purpose that it is intended, and allow it to help shape the policies of the individual constituent nations themselves going forward.

We feel that the development of an Imperial Assembly will help to keep imperial affairs, at least, focused in Seleya and the Anantonese Region, where they belong and where we can, to the highest degree possible, control the chaotic behavior of other nations outside of the Empire. We can also confidently say that had the Imperial Assembly been present in the first place, Kalistan might never have launched on this adventure in the first place.

Finally, we would like to begin exploring ways to finally bring Athosia into the Empire. We have asked our Foreign Minister to begin putting significant resources to the long standing national ambition of reunification of Suldanor. We would welcome the Government of Baltusia to begin considering integration into the Anantonese Empire, where it belongs with its brothers and sisters, and on the same terms as Gaduridos and Lodamun joined. It has long been the dream and the National Policy of this Empire to bring Athosia and Baltusia into the Empire, and it is time we begin to make that dream a national policy, and then, a reality."

Her Imperial Majesty's Comments received a standing ovation from the Nationalist faction of the Institutional Party, which nearly swept the most recent Kalistani elections. Some Deputies noted that this was what they had been waiting for from the Empress, while others began speaking with journalists about what Baltusian entry into the Empire might look like and how it might go about. At any rate, nearly all those this Paper spoke with were happy with Her Imperial Majesty's speech overall, and particularly rated the reorientation section as the one which resonated most with them. A recent poll also shows that the people are with Her Imperial Majesty: More than 65% of the more than 14,000 respondants of a Kalistani Republic interest poll stated that they wanted Her Imperial Majesty to focus more on Seleya than Artania, and an overwhelming 88% stated that they rated Baltusia as their single most important foreign policy goal, while fascism in Kundrati was at least top three in only 42% of responses.

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Her Imperial Majesty applauds developments in Egelion
"We look forward to establishing relations with our Neighbor" says Empress in Kaliburg
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
December 30, 5589


Her Imperial Majesty discusses Anantonese Relations in downtown Kaliburg

Her Imperial Majesty stopped briefly to talk with reporters today after meeting with several civil engineers in an attempt to restart the Kaliburg Metro project.  She gave some brief Comments to reporters that were gathered outside the NSP HQ in downtown Kaliburg.

R(eporter):  Is Her Imperial Majesty looking forward to restarting the Metro and completing it?

(Her Imperial Majesty, Empress) C(arolina I) A(nanto):  We did discuss restarting and finishing the Metro here in Kaliburg.  The project was supposed to take a decade and has now been put on indefinite hold as our Partners from Kundrati have more or less walked off the project while they defend their homeland.  We cannot say we blame them, but it is important for us to complete this project and we have the ability here to complete it with or without the project directors from Kundrati.  Over this winter, NSP will develop a project to get back onto some sort of schedule, and meanwhile, the NSP will reach out to the Kundratis to see if they wish to return to the Empire to work.  This is their brain child, and it is our hope that they will come back to work.  Otherwise, we will start again in the Spring.

R:  How much of the Metro is completed?

CA:  Of the original plans provided by the Kundrati Engineers, we have about 80% completed, and currently in service.  Most of that work is downtown here, as well as in Lolla and to the University.  However, about six years ago, the Kundratis came to us with updated plans, to expand out to the northeastern and southern suburbs and those have not been started yet.  So, over the whole project, we can estimate between 60 and 65% is completed.  Useful, yes, but we would like to expand service along original plans.

R:  What is Her Imperial Majesty's position on the new Egelion Monarchy that is taking shape in Keris?

CA:  We find that to be a very encouraging development.  The Empire would certainly look forward not only to meeting the future king of Egelion, the Duke Amadeo, but also reaching out in terms of economic and security cooperation.  Egelion is a nation that is simply grandfathered into a number of our regional treaties, and it would make sense for the Empire to be on very good terms with Egelion.

R:  Has Egelion reached out to the Anantonese Empire?

CA:  No.

R:  Not on anything?

CA:  No.  But they are in the process of consolidating up there.  It makes sense that they would hold off until the institutions of their national government are in place.  If we are still having this same conversation is perhaps five years time, if Egelion decides to not approach Ananto, we would be more concerned at that point.  There is no reason to our thinking that they won't eventually reach out and send representatives to talk to the Anantonese Empire.  We certainly want it known that they are welcomed in Kaliburg, as we hope our own representatives are in Altea.

R:  Does it concern Her Imperial Majesty that another monarchy is on the rise in the region?

CA:  Absolutely not.  It would be far better for a stable, sane government under a monarch should rise than a Republic, especially one prone to revolutions and instability.  From early reports, Egelion is trying its hand at absolutism, and eschewing constitutionalism.  This is absolutely something we support, and find that regime convergence like this creates many opportunities for cooperation when we both follow the same structures and sets of rules.  If the Ananto Empire treats with another Absolute Monarch, there are so many other things we don't have to negotiate or attempt to understand before going in to any conversation.  An absolute monarch's word is law.  We don't have to wonder whether the thing they say one day is going to get voted down the next day.  We welcome those developments and stand ready to create not only normal, but close relations with our Neighbors in Egelion."

R:  Finally, Can Her Imperial Majesty give us some updates on the progress His Highness, the Minor Crown Prince is making with learning to sign?

CA:  Both of our children have acquired the sign alphabet fairly quickly.  The Crown Prince has a knack for picking up nuances in language, and his little sister is already showing off her wit in sign language.  They already talk faster to one another than either we or the Prince Consort can follow, so we will ask them to slow down.  They are both learning to communicate very well, and their Tutor, Miss Helen Miller, has done so well teaching them both.  It is our hope that by Summer of next year, the Crown Prince gains fluency in Vrassan signs, and begins his instruction in Egelian.

R:  Will Her Imperial Majesty learn Egelian sign language?

CA:  We will have enough to learn with Vrassan.  Our Husband and ourselves are making progress, but the Children are picking it up the same way we picked up spoken Vrassan, as children, so it is there when the concrete in the mind sets  We do not have that advantage.  So we will need to rely on the Crown Prince's lip reading abilities when we speak in Egelian in the home.  Luckily, he will also have his sister and Miss Miller to speak Egelian with, because making friends with Egelian speaking children who are hard of hearing is difficult, given that the Crown Prince is the Crown Prince.  Perhaps, if things go well between Egelion and the Anantonese Empire, we may have the opportunity to travel there and meet some Egelian speakers who use sign there, so Fred can get some real world experience.  In addition, we want to travel to Gaduridos next Spring and look at houses.  It will be good for both Fredrick and Miss Michelle to meet Gaduris who sign too.  One would think this would be a challenge, but instead it creates a lot of great opportunities for our children, and though the fact of the Crown Prince's loss of hearing is something that might be difficult for most, we are trying to remain optimistic about the potential that he will continue to be able to communicate after his hearing is gone.  Now, we must continue to our next meeting, so we wish you all a good afternoon.

R:  Thanks to Her Imperial Majesty for her time and willingness to answer questions.

At this Her Imperial Majesty departed by automobile.

@TheKalistaniRepublic

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Lady Dana Ananto Reports on Coffee Production in Gaduridos
Announces new Movie to be produced in Gaduridos
Ciudad de Gaduri, Marlingantos
January 19, 5590


Lady Dana Ananto-Alvarez talks economic development in Gaduridos

Lady Dana Ananto-Alvarez, who is head of House Ananto and the current CFO of Miramar Holdings, held meetings with Gaduri Viceroy Extraordinary and Plenipotential, Her Excellency, Lady Magdalena Sarmiento this week, to discuss continuing investment in Gaduri agriculture and other industries.  Specifically, the two discussed increasing coffee production, which has seen two profitable years in the last five, with all signs pointing toward further profitability in the near and medium term.  She then spoke to reporters.  Below is her statement concerning additional Miramar investment in Gaduridos.

"Me siento alentado por los informes de la Virrey de Su Majestad Imperial, Lady Magdalena Sarmiento, quien informó sobre el estado de la industria del café de Gaduri esta semana. Cuando llegué a Gaduridos para hablar con la Virrey, estaba dispuesto a aumentar la inversión de Miramar en la economía de Gaduri. El informe de la Virrey sugiere que este plan es sólido y confirma a los accionistas de Miramar que Gaduridos está administrando su capital de manera juiciosa, con el objetivo de brindar tanto un retorno de la inversión para los accionistas como un beneficio social y económico para la Nación Gaduri.

"Por eso, me complace anunciar que Miramar invertirá otros ₭4 millones de rublos, además de los ₭9 millones que hemos comprometido para este año, y que esta cantidad aumentada se mantendrá durante los cinco años restantes de nuestro compromiso. En ese momento, trabajaremos con el Virrey y el Gobierno de Su Majestad Imperial en Gaduridos para determinar qué recursos financieros adicionales son necesarios para convertir a Gaduridos en el principal exportador de café de Terra. Esto elevará la inversión financiera total de Miramar a 110 millones de rublos imperiales.

"También es muy interesante el hecho de que Republican Pictures, que Miramar compró hace tres años, ha estado en conversaciones con prometedores cineastas de Gaduri que desean comenzar a producir películas y programas de televisión en Gaduridos. El objetivo es fomentar el desarrollo de la producción local de cine y televisión. Como todo gaduri sabe, Gaduridos tiene una larga historia de producción de cine y televisión muy innovadora y única, y varios directores de la Nueva Escuela desean retomar esa orgullosa herencia y llevarla adelante. Republican Pictures, la veterana productora de Kalistani, busca ofrecer toda la ayuda que pueda para ese esfuerzo, para ayudar a Gaduris a recuperar esa magia que la hizo que millones de Kalistanis la quisieran en el pasado.

Republican Pictures está en las primeras etapas de ayudar a los cineastas locales a desarrollar un guión, con el objetivo de convertirlo en un largometraje completo. Republican también ayudará a los cineastas de Gaduri a conseguir financiación, decorados, sonido e iluminación y equipo. Todas las cuestiones técnicas a las que los directores y artistas aficionados no tienen acceso. Los Gaduri también crearán su propia compañía de producción, con la que Republican coproducirá la película, y Republican ayudará a comercializarla internacionalmente. Todavía no hay muchos detalles públicos, pero creo que puedo decir que la película será del género de las películas de terror y se rodará íntegramente en Gaduridos con un reparto y un equipo completos de Gaduri. Es un momento emocionante para ser un kalistani que apoya a Gaduridos en su camino hacia el regreso a su posición como una luz brillante en la cultura seleyana, y yo, por mi parte, estoy emocionado de hacer este anuncio. Aunque Miramar no desempeñará un papel directo en la producción de la película, estaremos a su lado para ayudar al esfuerzo anantonés según sea necesario.

"Esto es todo lo que tengo que informar por hoy. Espero seguir trabajando con nuestros socios de Gaduri para expandir la industria del café y estudiar el desarrollo de cultivos adicionales en todo el Reino, incluidos el azúcar, el arroz y el chocolate. Pero se necesitan más estudios agronómicos antes de que podamos determinar si esos cultivos tendrán éxito en Gaduridos. También estamos estudiando la posibilidad de realizar pruebas con árboles frutales tropicales para ver qué funciona y, lo que es más importante, qué podemos convertir en cultivos exportables para mejorar aún más la economía de Gaduri. La Virrey hará un informe completo de nuestras reuniones cuando visite a Su Majestad Imperial en abril. Gracias por su atención y ahora responderé las preguntas de la prensa."

Most of the questions involved requests for information about profit sharing for the Coffee production, which Lady Dana Ananto announced was going by an large to Gaduri investors, while Miramar was focused on recouperating its investment, and earning some on top.  "Lo más importante," said Lady Dana, "es que el 100% de todos los ingresos de la producción de café en Gaduridos se quedan en Gaduridos. Miramar no expatria sus ganancias, sino que paga impuestos al gobierno de Gaduridos de acuerdo con las leyes fiscales de Gaduridos. Nos complace informar que estamos utilizando nuestros dividendos para reinvertir en la industria, en lugar de expatriar esas ganancias a Kalistan. Es dinero de Miramar y, como tal, no ve ninguna diferencia entre Gaduridos y Kalistan, pero cuando se trata del desarrollo en Gaduridos, mantenerlo aquí es lo correcto."

When asked for an update on other Miramar operations in Gaduridos, Lady Dana answered, "Estamos viendo avances en Port Gaduri en la capital. Como todos ustedes saben, dragar el antiguo puerto lleva mucho tiempo y el puerto no puede ser utilizado por barcos modernos hasta que se profundice y ensanche. Sin embargo, hemos estado avanzando en la construcción de las instalaciones y la infraestructura del puerto y casi hemos terminado de construir los primeros muelles de aguas profundas que nos permitirán trasladar los materiales de construcción necesarios para comenzar a construir nuestros diques secos en el sitio. Solo llevamos un par de años con el proyecto, por lo que pasará algún tiempo antes de que comencemos a ver algún tipo de actividad de construcción en el puerto, pero hay mucho progreso que informar.

"Además," Lady Dana continued, "queremos solicitar al gobierno de Gaduri que el puerto continental en Cuernatecas, en Maestriq, se amplíe para que sirva como el principal puerto comercial continental, pero aún faltan años para que iniciemos proyectos adicionales en el continente.

Following about 15 minutes of Q&A with the Press, Lady Dana took her leave to travel to her home in Vespiano, where she will spend the next week on vacation.  She said she planned to do some sailing while in Vespiano.

@TheKalistaniRepublic

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FM Bjorksdattir announces end of Likatonian Blockade
Ananto will begin process of Normalization with Likatonia
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
April 4, 5590


Sir Christopher Bjorksdattir enunciates Her Imperial Majesty's Will in regard to Likatonia

"Immediately and unilaterally, The Anantonese Empire suspends the terms of its Embargo against Likatonia," said Her Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister, Sir Christopher Bjorksdattir.  "Likatonia has satisfied our requests to stop supporting Kundrati Fascism and has therefore met the minimum threshold for suspension of the Embargo."  These words caused a flurry of questions for the Foreign Minister, who seemed a bit put off by the gaggle.

"She feels that the intervention of Luthori was decisive in the entire matter," said Sir Bjorksdattir, responding to a question about whether or not Luthori played a role.  "Throughout the entire situation, Luthori has advised Likatonia, as a full member of its empire, regarding the course it should take, and has firmly established, in her Imperial Majesty's Mind, the relationship between Likatonia and Luthori.  That relationship is not likely to change, and we see the influence of Luthori in Likatonia's posture toward the Empire every day.  So talking with the Luthorians about Likatonia was clearly the correct course of action, and a brief conversation with their government led directly to this decision."

When asked whether Likatonia would be normalizing relations with the Anantonese Empire, Sir Christopher answered, "I have no idea.  I suppose that also rests with the influence of Luthori.  We are convinced that Likatonia no longer acts independently of Ft. William's direction, so, I suppose it is up to Ft. William.  However, we do note that to date, the Embargo that Likatonia placed on the Anantonese Empire in response to our Embargo remains in place, and normalization won't happen while they are still enforcing that policy.  So.  The ball is firmly in Luthori...  excuse me...  Likatonia's court."

Asked why the Empress has changed her position on the Likatonian question, Sir Bjorksdattir responded, "I already answered that in my brief remarks...  Likatonia had satisfied our demands, therefore we removed the Embargo.  The conversation with the Luthorian Government assured us that this was the case.  They believed Her Imperial Majesty sought an apology, but our Ambassador in Ft. William reiterated that an apology was not required.  So, upon assurances from Ft. William, Her Imperial Majesty agreed to Luthori's terms, and lifted the Embargo."

Bjorksdattir was asked if Ananto will be sending an Ambassador to Likatonia, and he simply replied, "Judging what happened last time Kalistan attempted to reach out and send a representative to their government, that is highly unlikely.  We've had better luck dealing with their political overlords, as trying as that is.  As Ft. William sets policy in Clovisport, there is no need for us to provide the Luthorians two ambassadors, when we can just deal with the actual decisionmakers.  So as of now, there will be no additional ambassadors sent to Luthorian Commonwealth nations as they are entirely redundant and superfluous."

Asked what 'normalization' meant, Bjorksdattir answered, "We would like the Trans Seleyan Train line reopened.  We would like to reopen consular services in Clovisport to help our Empire's Citizens.  Those are pretty easy to handle for now.  Her Imperial Majesty wishes to improve relations with Seleyan Nations, so renormalization is a step in the right direction.  But who knows.  Maybe something wild will happen in Likatonia where that can change.  Conservatives seem to be coming to power in Likatonia, so their policy may change.  It is unknown.  For right now, the otherwise basic act of increasing freedom of movement in Northern Seleya seems like a major victory compared to the last few miserable decades of Kalistani-Likatonian relations."

With this Sir Bjorksdattir cut the impromptu press questions short, explaining he was on his way to a meeting, and could answer more questions at a later time.

@TheRepublic