Kalistan

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Chancellor announces broad agreement on regional security with Egelion
"Landmark Conference" lays foundation for future cooperation
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
March 2, 5703


Chancellor of the Empire Sir Reg Hanson reporting on Egelian Conference

The Moderate Chancellor of the Empire announced acceptance of the Final Executive Report on the recent Altean talks in the Egelian capital between Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Carolina II Ananto and His Majesty, Emperor Leon Alexander Montelivet of the Kerisian Empire. The two neighbors have been in an unofficial cold war since the beginning of hostilities in New Verham in February 5699, which almost turned hot following the expulsion of Egelian diplomats from Kalistan and reciprocal military escalation near Luncasi. The Report covers the agreements between the two Imperial Monarchs including commitment to increased communication around military maneuver, a reaffirmation of the Oceanic Accords and a resumption of cultural and diplomatic interaction between the two Anantonese Nations.

"Her Imperial Majesty considers this return to the Status Quo ex ante with increased military communication around deployments abroad is a win for both sides," said the Chancellor as he was announcing the bill's passage. "The victories aren't exactly revolutionary, but I don't think that was the goal of this meeting: Instead, I think both monarchs believe that peace and tranquility in our part of the world is a goal worth working toward, and the discussion around military communication feels like a commitment to consideration of Kalistan's point of view in Altea which is what Her Imperial Majesty wanted. She does not need Altea to get Anantonese Clearance--that has never been the case. She merely would like to hear from the Egelian Government before it hits the papers, so Kalistan may prepare properly. If we are friends, this is a consideration we are also willing to provide, and from a security standpoint on both sides of the Ocean it just makes sense."

In exchange for the concession on military communication, the Empress offered that Kalistan and Egelion would take the first steps toward joint exercises, joint patrols and some limited intelligence sharing in the future. "We are not there yet," said Sir Hanson. "That trust and sense of cooperation still needs time to develop. And we do have standing agreements with Lodamun around intelligence sharing, so any decision on that would necessarily include them. But Her Imperial Majesty offered to begin working with Egelion in that direction, and though it may take a while, barring some exogenous shock, I think both Sovereigns want to do this the right way and inch toward one another, as opposed to away from one another."

This region of the world is special, said and Sir Hanson, who even used the word "exceptional" in his speech. "The Anantonese Region, including Lourenne at one time, Kalistan, Lodamun, Gaduridos, and we also add Egelion, is truly the exception to the rule in Terra. Abroad, you see political instability, followed by long periods of inertia, followed by a civil war or a race war. All of these ruin the security and well being of generation after generation of the people of the territories outside of this region. But there is something special, something important about our part of the world, and I can include much of Northern Seleya in this as well, where that doesn't happen to us. Whether it be enlightened government, or competent and professional bureaucracies, whether it be the attitude of our people with regard to their own liberties, and the willingness of elites to stay in their lane and not trouble the people as much as possible, we are built differently here. And I think this is the basis, should be the basis, excuse me, of any cooperation going forward. We have something special about us that makes us more inclined to stability and less inclined toward chaos. It is an Anantonese Spirit, I might say, which animates the nations that are situated along the coasts of this ocean, and drives us not only to pursue greatness in our respective areas, but I dare say, achieve it. And it is worth protecting above all other things, because otherwise, we become just like those who will never know peace, prosperity or stable government for long, and instead spend a lot of their time killing themselves and each other, and another significant portion of their time rebuilding once more what they just got done destroying."

Hanson called this a "landmark conference" and says it lays the foundation for future cooperation. "As we both look west, we notice that many of the major players on our horizon are being quiet. It almost feels like a calm before the storm. You usually can't trust a Majatra or an Artania not at war somewhere. This might be the best time to begin talking to our regional partners about contingencies before we find ourselves needing them and not having prepared for them. I think Her Imperial Majesty's work with the Egelian Emperor in Altea is a first step toward that sort of cooperation, and it might behoove us to bring in Lodamun and maybe even Valruzia too, so we can start talking about continental and hemispheric security rather than just local security. It is much more in our interests to work together than alone, or worse, against one another, in the face of a potential unified opponent that lurks the edges of the map and haunts our nightmares."

The report received approval by acclamation, and the Chancellor thanked Her Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister, Sir Thomas Harney, for his preliminary work on this conference to make it an easy and focused use of Her Imperial Majesty's time and attention. He said Her Imperial Majesty looks forward to more opportunities to continue to working with our neighbors on peace and security, as we ourselves continue building Fortress Kalistan.

@TheRepublic