Kalistan

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FM Discusses Kalistani Foreign Relations
Selucia, Dolgava, Istalia top of List for discussion
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
August 31, 5688


FM Sir Thomas Harney interviews at Checkers, a local Casual Dining Establishment in Kaliburg

Her Imperial Majesty's Minister of Foreign Relations, Sir Thomas Harney, sat down with The Kalistani Republic's Meg Williams for a short interview. The two met at the local casual eatery, Checkers, in Downtown Kaliburg. Asked why the Foreign Minister wanted to conduct the interview at Checkers, he said "It's lunch time. Are you hungry?" Williams checked with her boss at The Republic who cleared the meeting. You can imagine the surprise when the FM showed up in a tuxedo.

(The Kalistani Republic's) M(eg) W(illiams): Wow, Sir Harney. I feel a little underdressed. I think everyone here is underdressed...

(Her Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister, Sir) T(homas) H(arney, OAE): How do you mean?

MW: Well... I mean... you're very well... dressed... I didn't know this was a formal thing, like a formal place. Everyone here is in shorts and t-shirts. I always thought Checkers was just kind of a place to come get a burger...

TH: No, this place has great cheese sticks. I kind of had a craving for their fried cheese. Sometimes you get that kind of craving you know.

MW: Sure... But I mean, you're wearing a tux. Did you come from a formal event or something?

TH: No. I don't think so. Just the office.

MW: Do you always wear a tux to work then, Sir Harney?

TH: You know, that's a great idea... Like a daily tuxedo, you know?

MW: Do you own more than one tuxedo?

TH: I think I own 12 or 13. My cleaning bills are pretty high, but, you know, sometimes you gotta prioritize the things that are important.

MW: Ok Well... I think we were going to talk about an update on the Selucian situation.

TH: Sure, The Foreign Ministry registering opposition to policy the arbitrary imprisonment of their Yeudi population is also sparking a lot of additional condemnation from around the world. That is very encouraging. You will also see a lot of your usual suspects threatening invasion. We'll see how that develops. It might just be that the Selucian government backs completely off of that policy without the need of an invasion, because invasions tend to have a funny way of turning into occupation, which turn into something like a soft annexation. Ideally, we would like to see Selucia pay attention to what is right in front of them and abandon that horrendous policy without other nations needing to intervene militarily.

MW: Who are some of the nations who have spoken up?

TH: Egelion and Vanuku have both spoken out, but more importantly for our perspective, we are seeing alignment from nations like Xsampa and Istalia. Just knowing that both of these states are on the correct page regarding protecting the Yeudi population of Selucia is very encouraging. We also know that our friends in Lodamun are very strong in their opposition to what Selucia is doing to its Yeudi population.

MW: Are there any states you are missing from your own list on Selucia?

TH: We haven't heard anything from Kundrati which seems a little disappointing. Luthori hasn't spoken out either, though I have a feeling I know where they stand. The Kundrati silence is growing louder, and this is a bit problematic for Kalistani-Kundrati relations which are just starting to heal.

MW: If Kundrati doesn't make a statement, will that slow diplomatic development between the two nations?

TH: I am concerned with will actually reverse them.

MW: Going the other way, how do you think the principled stance of Istalia and Xsampa will affect relations between us and them.

TH: As Kalistan, I know our Princess Regent has set her policy that we should try to repair relationships where we can. I know our Late Emperor and Empress felt this way too: its why they were in Kundrati in the first place. It definitely appears that Istalia in particular is really making an effort to open their doors to us, and this bodes very well for our relationship with the Majatran nation. There isn't a lot of reasons for Kalistan and Istalia to be adversaries: We have a lot in common and a lot of common ideas about things to build upon. I know they recently made kind remarks about Kalistan in their press, and to answer them, we are looking to accept the Olive Branch they have offered, and schedule a meeting with them as soon as practical for us both.

In regard to Xsampa, I would say this is more up to the Chancellor and the Princess Regent. Lady Donahue has her well known feelings about communists, but we have to ask when we are gonna let them out of the dog house in Kalistan? I think things might be changing there, and we may be ready to thaw things over this Selucian nightmare.

MW: Finally, on Dolgava, where is Kalistan?

TH: As you know the Current Queen is the daughter of a Kalistani supermodel who married their King. Of course we have strong affinity for her. Dolgava is now and has long been a close partner in our region. They are tied with Lodamun on a lot of security matters which Kalistan is interested in joining to support regional security, and of course much of the nation is part of Kalistan's Crownlands. Its kind of a no brainer that we are going to continue to associate closely with Dolgava. They are currently "invading" Ananto, right now, you know.

MW: Yes, the Operation Emerald exercises. How are those going?

TH: Just finishing up, actually. Dolgavan armor did a fantastic job. The Invaders won on points by the end of the three day battle, 17-14. But as we said: even if Kalistan gets close, we will consider this a success. Because in a war, we can expect that eventually we will be able to grind the invasion into a bunch of shattered war ghosts. We had three days this time: in a war we'll have however long it takes, even if we get hurt at the beginning. We've authorized campaign ribbons for all participants, assuming that Lodamun and Dolgava will permit their soldiers to wear them.

MW: Well, thank you for your time, Sir Harney. This has been super informative.

TH: Just in time, the cheese sticks have arrived. Wanna stick around and try some of these?

MW: I think she's coming with my salad, thank you for the offer though.

@TheRepublic