Kalistan

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Her Imperial Majesty starts formal divorce from Gaduridos
Negotiations with Viceroy begin to end formal imperial relationship
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
December 12, 5706


Her Imperial Majesty calls eventual split "extremely hurtful"

Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Carolina II Ananto signed the proclamation today which began a process to formally and legally separate Kalistan and Ananto from Gaduridos and grant the central Seleyan nation independence. The decision came after long negotiations with the Viceroy of Gaduridos, Her Excellency the Marquess Marisol Paz Alvarez-Navarro over the future of the relationship. During the negotiations, the Viceroy informed the Empress that the nation of Gaduridos was essentially defunct, a mere caretaker government having been in place for decades. "The nation is so fully inert that we weren't even allowed to bring Gaduris to Kalistan to participate with us in the coming Olympics. The only things happening in Gaduridos at the moment are happening at the Kalistani Naval base in Bentasur," said the Viceroy."

The Empress herself addressed the matter. "For years, Kalistan has tried to do what it could to keep the nation afloat through its investments, through offering the nation stability and security, and through welcoming Gaduridos to participate in everything with Kalistan as equals. In every instance, with exception to the Viceroy, Gaduridos has shown no interest in any aspect of Imperial Participation or contribution to the notion of a joint society. They have not held regular elections in decades, it is impossible to say even who is in charge in the nation, and we are not allowed through our relationships to exert any sort of influence in the country, even though we are, by treaty, the nation's imperial sovereign. This is an extremely hurtful relationship both to Kalistan and to Gaduridos, and it is our fear that as long as we remain, Gaduridos will never get its act together and be the nation we always believed it could be. Henceforth, Kalistan will withdraw from Gaduridos and wish it well. We fear, however that it will become yet another Baltusia--A nation with a lot of promise that nobody did anything with and anyone who wanted to was simply prohibited from doing even the least for, let alone with."

With that, Her Imperial Majesty signed the official proclamation setting the separation and independence date for Gaduridos at April 6, 5709, which would give Viceroy Alvarez-Navarro a decade of tenure. According to the proclamation, Bentasur Naval Base will be dismantled and the land will return to Gaduridos as empty land. The Third Regular Navy will return to Kalistan, ending Kalistan's naval mission in Gaduridos. "Kalistan cannot sell the base to another nation, because we do not even have enough influence in the Government to make an agreement that they will be bound to honor when we are gone," said Lady Alvarez-Navarro. "It would be an agreement made under false pretenses at that point." When asked if this will leave Gaduridos defenseless, the Marquess said "Gaduridos is defenseless as it is: Kalistan has managed their security for more than a century while they never bothered to set up a national defense force themselves. When Kalistan leaves, Gaduridos will be on its own."

Other major investments will also be withdrawn at this time. "Kalistan and House Ananto all have significant investments in Gaduridos, in major sectors including the auto industry, the steel industry, the coffee and agricultural sectors, shipping and trade, and all of these will be pulled because when the Empire is no longer in place to protect those interests, we can no longer guarantee their safety," said Lady Alvarez. "It is unknown how many hundreds of billions of Imperial Rubles Kalistan has invested in Gaduridos--It is believed that Kalistani interests have invested more than ₭1 trillion Imperial Rubles in Gaduridos since 5570, but only a withdrawal of all Kalistani capital in the nation will prevent the anarchy from seizing it and making it a total loss to the Empire and to House Ananto." Much of the investment is sunk in Gaduridos and cannot be recoverable, but What can be recovered will be sold off at fire-sale prices to the small investing class in Gaduridos, and Lady Alvarez-Navarro thinks that Kalistan will recover at least 70 percent of its total investments in the nation, but what it doesn't make back will be written completely off and left abandoned. Nothing will be sold to foreigners from outside Gaduridos.

The news of the separation preceded the actual signing of the proclamation. The Gaduri Alvarez's who are the remnant of the 4th Dynasty who settled in Marlingantos and mainland Gaduridos have begun selling their real estate. "Pensábamos que el imperio duraría para siempre," said Antonio Alvarez-Guttierez, direct descendant of Duke Mark Ananto, who still lives near Vespiano, "así que echamos raíces aquí en Gaduridos. Ahora esta situación ya no parece sostenible. El Imperio no puede gobernar su territorio, y los gadurios tampoco lo gobernarán, así que, al igual que Su Majestad Imperial, nosotros también daremos por perdidas nuestras inversiones y regresaremos a Kalistan."

Alvarez-Gutierrez said that the capital flight from Gaduridos will devastate the local economy, but without a local government aid will not be coming to Gaduridos. "¿Qué podemos hacer?" asked Mr. Alvarez-Gutierrez. "No hay nadie en Ciudad de Gaduri que pueda recibir ayuda extranjera, en caso de que llegara alguna. En definitiva, fue una decisión abandonar a los gaduridos. Su Majestad Imperial hizo todo lo posible para mantener a esta nación a flote, pero al final, fue como si una fuerza imprevista se empeñara en la ruina de Gaduridos, y así finalmente están obteniendo lo que han deseado todo este tiempo: que Kalistan se retire de Gaduridos." Mr. Guttierez says he and his family intend to relocate to either Suldanor or Athosia temporarily, and will be withdrawing their life savings of several million Imperial Rubles out of Gaduri banks on the way out of the nation.

The split will ultimately be catastrophic but final. "Her Imperial Majesty cannot be expected to continue this relationship which does not allow her to even fulfill her obligations to the nation under the articles of Empire," said the Viceroy. "Under the articles, for example, which competent Government in Gaduridos signed at the time, the Empress was supposed to name Heads of Government in constituent nations. She was never allowed to do that, in the entire time Gaduridos belonged to the Empire. She has been forbidden to engage in trade negotiations on behalf of Gaduridos, or represent Gaduridos internationally as sovereign of the Empire, nor has she been permitted to enforce absolute legal equality of all citizens across the Empire, nor has Gaduridos ever contributed a single ship or soldier to an Imperial Defense Force, and etc. The Articles of Empire have been essentially moribund for decades, even though Gaduridos signed them, because Kalistan has been disallowed from enforcing them."

Once the last withdrawal of Kalistani armed forces occurs in 5709, and the last Kalistan capitalized enterprise is sold off, the Imperial Standard, which has flown over Gaduridos since the mid 5570s will finally be lowered one last time. And Gaduridos will be on its own, while the Anantonese Empire ceases to exist in any meaningful form.

@TheRepublic