Kalistan

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MinDef Velasco and ForMin Ontiveros discuss Luthorian invasion
"Emperor never ceded role of Guarantor of the Anantonese Ocean to Egelion or anyone else"
Bentasur, Gaduridos
December 1, 5735


Minister of Defense, Col. Calvin Velasco speaks to 3rd Fleet Commanders in Bentasur

His Imperial Majesty's Minister of Defense, Col. Calvin Velasco, visited Bentasur Gaduridos last week, in response to the Empire of Luthori's announced deployment to the Schismatic Sea. "The Militarists in Luthori claim that their mission is to 'to replace Egelion as a guarantor of naval stability and tranquillity in the region.'" said Velasco, speaking to Naval Commanders of the 3rd Imperial Fleet based at Bentasur. "What they are apparently oblivious to is that Egelion was not the Guarantor of naval stability and tranquility in this region, and nobody here asked or needs Luthori to step up into that role. That role has been held, and is still held by Kalistan, who's fleets range from the Karzon Strait to the shores of west Central Dovani to the northern shores of Indrala, and everywhere between. Luthori is inserting itself into Kalistan's sphere of interest and activity without even bothering to approach Kalistan. We can see this as nothing other than an aggressive move on their part and we will counter it."

Velasco said that His Imperial Majesty, Emperor William II Ananto has ordered the Third Imperial Fleet, who had recently conducted wargames in the Schismatic Sea from Bentasur as part of an overall Fleet Readiness Battery, back to sea. "His Imperial Majesty's goal is to send a direct and unmistakable message to the Empire of Luthori," who apparently intend to operate in close proximity to the Third Fleet's zone of operations for two years. They are simply guests here, and their sudden and inexplicable arrival oversteps our limits of hospitality pretty significantly. "It they continue to provoke the Empire of Ananto and Kalistan, they will be asked to leave, and if they opt not to leave, they will be escorted out."

His Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister, Sir Miguel Ontiveros, said Luthori's unilateral moves are tantamount to an invasion. "They have no interests in this part of the world. And we are not sure why they think that 'Guarantor of the Anantonese Ocean' was Egelion's mantle to lay down for them to pick up, when Kalistan never once in ceded that responsibility to any other nation."

The announced moves have caused a diplomatic stir between Kaliburg and Fort William. "Well, of course, Luthori has been stepping up its blatant militarism and warmongering," said Ontiveros. "Its intervention in Baeguk was first, but this move is right into Kalistan's back yard. Luthori never tires of making a situation worse, when they could instead do something simple like pick up a phone and call us and talk with us. A conversation would have been helpful, as in every other situation where a foreign power decided to place offensive naval weaponry within range of Kalistani interests. If they had approached Kalistan first instead of doing what all these nations always do which is completely ignore Kalistan's legitimate national interests and our existence entirely, our nation's response would probably have been different. Instead, they willfully sidestep the only regional military power left in the Anantonese Ocean and act like we aren't going to say anything. It's like they are just daring us to respond... Nobody in Kaliburg gets it, and neither does the Military High Command."

Defense Minister Velasco said the Emperor has ordered the First and Second Fleets in the Northern Anantonese onto alert as well, to watch for parallel moves from the Mad Dog Ocean or the Sea of Carina. "It's always people doing stupid things that cause all the problems for everyone else," said Velasco.

3rd Imperial Fleet, based in Bentasur zones of operation may bring Kalistanis into contact with unwanted guests

Ontiveros said he and a team have been dispatched to Ciudad de Gadur with a truce flag. "We know that an outstanding issue between Kalistan and Gaduridos is and has always been Bentasur. Bentasur is an integral component to our regional defense doctrine, a doctrine that Luthori has chosen to unnecessarily invoke with its unilateral, unwelcomed moves into this Ocean. We require the Southern Approaches to be defended, but His Imperial Majesty is not particularly picky about who does it, so long as it is a Seleyan nation, and not a foreign invasion force. With this context, we intend to attempt to sit down with Gaduridos and begin working toward a resolution of the Bentasur question."

The Foreign Minister would not offer details, but he said "The plan involves offering to help Gaduridos stand its own navy up, one that could easily counter anything Luthori, or any other such overextended nation like that might foolishly decide to try in the region. We would help with procurement, training and technical assistance. We have room at Bentasur. Once they have stood up a navy that can accept a hand off, we start handing things off."

According to Ontiveros, "This could include a discussion of a phased return to sovereignty. If this is the price for Gaduridos to return to the principle of Pan Seleyanism, it might be a price His Imperial Majesty is willing to pay. The devil is in the details, of course, and we are just on our way to open discussions with Gaduridos. We have our history, and are already behind Luthori because they didn't bother to consult with anyone before beginning their hostile imperialistic incursion into a region that neither wants nor needs them. We understand that Gaduridos is militantly neutral, and we do not expect them to automatically support Kalistan's interests in the Anantonese Ocean. But the Emperor is hoping to offer a compromise on Bentasur that will benefit Gaduridos over time. And we hope that what we are offering is more interesting to Gaduridos than anything Luthori is offering."

Velasco was clear: "Kalistan can not prevent Luthori from sailing the high seas. We are merely correcting the record. 1) There is no threat to trade in the region that Luthori needs to respond to. This is a pretext. 2) There is no decline in stability or security in the region due to Egelion's withdrawal from world affairs, because Egelion was not active in the Central Anantonese Ocean. Their bases were in the Southern Part of the Continent. Meanwhile, Kalistan has maintained an obsessive grip on the waters between Keris and Indrala. His Imperial Majesty is the Guarantor of the Anantonese Ocean, and always has been. For Luthori's part, this is just a very thin excuse, and 3) the operation of a Luthorian Air Craft Carrier group in Luthori's antipodes is inexplicable if Luthorian security is the consideration, because the Schismatic Sea is literally nowhere near Luthori, and does not contribute one iota to Luthorian Security. There are no threats to Luthori in this quarter of the world, and quite frankly, there is no reason for them to be here, so they should politely return home."

And Ontiveros was clear. "His Imperial Majesty feels that this move by Luthori is incredibly provocative. They claim to be willing to discuss the matter with regional actors, but they have not even bothered to approach the only nation in the region with an active navy. They have not sent a single telegram to Kaliburg, about anything. They claim they would be happy to work with regional nations, and claim they are willing to cooperate with partners in their efforts, because they are protectors and guarantors. Yet, they are content to ignore Kalistan at every level. So, the response we show is warranted. They demonstrate that they are only interested in sidestepping Kalistan because they believe us to be lunatics, and then wonder why we respond like lunatics."

Ontiveros said His Imperial Majesty is ready to talk with Luthori at any time. "The Emperor is not holding his breath, however," said the Foreign Minister. "Time and time again, Kalistan has been alternatively ignored and provoked by Fort William. And unless it is for Luthori to remove its aggressive naval hardware from our region, there's not much to talk about anyway: Moving a carrier group into the area is an explicit threat to everyone within range of that group. That includes Gaduridos and Bentasur. And the idea that they are taking over from Egelion in the region is just laughable. There is no vacuum for them to fill here, because there is a Third Fleet already there. So, they should leave. It would make everyone whose opinion on topic matters, a lot happier."

Ontiveros also said that Luthori's aggressive militarism will have damaging effects on Kalistan and Mordusia's detente that began before the Emperor was crowned. "As long as Mordusia acts as Luthori's agent in the region, and Luthori continues acting in this fashion, we don't have much to talk to Mordusia about either."

@TheRepublic