Kalistan

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Major breakthroughs in Xsampa and Gaduridos announced
"Luthori quiere probarnos los huevos, while others want to make deals," says Ontiveros
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
March 2, 5736


FM Sir Miguel Ontiveros announces deals with Xsampa and Gaduridos

His Imperial Majesty's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sir Miguel Ontiveros, announced new breakthroughs with both Xsampa and Gaduridos amid the deepening Schismatic Sea Crisis. The announcement came early this week, as teams have returned from both countries. "Luthori quiere probarnos los huevos, while others want to make deals. We have concluded a major investment deal with Xsampa which will guarantee us an ample supply of raw cotton fiber and milled cotton cloth to begin supplying the domestic market," said Sir Ontiveros. "Miramar and several other interests have announced that they have secured the rights to invest in the Xsampan industry which is just getting started."

According to the Foreign Minister, Kalistani investors, including Miramar, will put money into both ginning facilities to process the cotton and mills which will create cotton textiles. In addition to this massive investment, which will hopefully inspire additional Xsampan investment in the industry, Kalistan hopes to return 85% of any profits realized from the investments to the Xsampan Governments to promote various social programs for the people of the cotton growing regions. Finally, KALNATEXCO will create a guaranteed buyer program to ensure that farmers can sell their crops. "This deal will insure our nation not only cotton textiles which will be turned into clothing for Kalistani consumers, but also cotton fibers that we hope to blend with our own local fibers for more durable, light weight clothes. It also helps the growers in Xsampa and we hope it will further strengthen the cooperation between our two nations and open possible new avenues for trade." The cotton deal joins earlier successes to restore gem sales to Kalistan and aluminum sales to Xsampa.

The deal concluded with Gaduridos however, has longer reaching implications. "We can also announce that late last month, negotiations with Gaduridos were concluded that will ultimately lead to the restoration of Gaduri sovereignty over Bentasur." The announcement was booed by the Nationalist Minority in the National Assembly. The Foreign Minister needed to ask for the Sergeant at Arms to restore order on the floor. "Deputies, the day has been coming for a very long time-- it was ordained the minute we lowered the Anantonese Imperial Standard in Ciudad de Gadur. But the time has finally arrived to renegotiate our position on the base, and its happening whether the Nationalists like it or not. Because the Emperor has decided that it needs to happen if we hope to rebuild any kind of relationship with the Southern Kingdom."

The Foreign Minister said a comprehensive roadmap between Kalistan and Gaduridos was signed which first and foremost commits both nations to the principle of restoring Gaduri sovereignty over Bentasur. "Bentasur has been Kalistani Imperial Navy property since the earliest days of the Anantonese Empire more than 150 years," said the Foreign Minister. "But His Imperial Majesty has decreed that its time as an exclave of the Empire is at an end, and it should be returned to Gaduridos as a sign of our desire to restore relations with Gaduridos. The Emperor has expressed this principle as his will, and as such is therefore beyond question."

The invocation of Imperial Fiat was enough to quiet most of the Deputies long enough for the Foreign Minister to lay out most of the details of the roadmap. "Kalistan's interest in the matter is for the Southern Approach to be guarded. We can do that with the 3rd Fleet, as Luthori is currently learning, or we can ask Gaduridos to begin shouldering some of the burden for regional defense. Keeping the 3rd Imperial Fleet at Bentasur was the price Gaduridos had to pay for Kalistan performing patrols on their southern flank, but they have made it clear that they would prefer to have Bentasur and so Kalistan has agreed to move on the question assuming Gaduridos is capable of meeting the security demands in the Southern Approaches, which they are currently not. Therefore it is incumbent on us to help them get ready to pick up that responsibility."

The Foreign Minister said the discussions involve Kalistan assisting Gaduridos in standing up a fleet which is at least on parity with the 3rd Kalistani Imperial Fleet. "This will involve assistance in procurement, training and technical matters," said Ontiveros. "We will stick to Gaduri timetables, where they can put in orders for surface craft and submarines from our Naval Ship yards, as they are able to procure them. Kalistan has no interest in profitability and will sell Gaduridos ships at cost. One way they could offset costs is to supply the steel for the ships--this could further stimulate the Gaduri Steel Industry, allowing them to scale up their industries, while gretly offsetting material costs for the new ships. Kalistan will build them in Kaliburg and assist Gaduridos with building at the old shipyards in the Gaduri Capital using Kalistani blueprints. In Gaduridos, this could serve as a major jobs program. And as new ships come on line, they will relocate to Bentasur."

While the new ships come online, Gaduris will be welcomed to begin moving into the base. "Bentasur, as a base has always been far larger than the 3rd Imperial Fleet has required," said the Foreign Minister. "We maintained the excess anchorage on the base because we anticipated Gaduridos, while it was still a constituent member of the Anantonese Empire, would stand a navy up and share the base with us. That never happened. Its used rather infrequently now, but still maintained in the event that other units would want to cycle through on training cycles or other naval activities in the region."

The base also contains a major OTH radar station and a naval air strip built toward the end of the Anantonese Empire and expanded after Gaduri independence. "These facilities are our eyes and ears on the Schismatic Sea and the Southern Approaches, and besides being the home port of the 3rd Fleet, are some of the most strategic overseas postings in Ananto and Kalistan." Gaduridos is expected to move into the half of the base which is not used by the Third Fleet, and their officers and crew will be invited aboard Kalistani ships of the third Fleet as foreign nationals to train with Kalistanis while their own ships are being built.

"Ideally, we would like to prepare Gaduris, top to bottom to enter service directly onto their own vessels as they are being built with a very good idea of what the Imperial Mission in the region is, so they can begin picking up the missions that we are handing off." Once the Gaduris begin conducting their own patrols in the Schismatic and the Central Anantonese Oceans alongside the Kalistani fleet, Kalistan will formally divide Bentasur into two bases, handing full possession of the Gaduri side to Gaduridos for their exclusive use, while developing a SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) for Kalistani forces in Gaduridos. "And then, when the Gaduri Fleet is completed, and the Gaduri naval officers and crew are on their own ships, we will formally transfer sovereignty of the Kalistani base at Bentasur to the Kingdom of Gaduridos, and enter into a Joint Forces Agreement around the base which will guarantee exclusive use of the Kalistani facilities to the Empire of Ananto and Kalistan, while flying the Gaduri Flag next to the Imperial Standard, rendering full honors during Morning and Evening Colors to both standards."

The Foreign Minister said this fairly complicated process not only allows Kalistan to continue its mission in the region, but allows Gaduridos the opportunity to restore its full sovereignty over its entire national territory. "Its not a full retreat," said the Foreign Minister, "but it grants Gaduridos the dignity as an equal, sovereign nation which past Monarchs have been unwilling to even consider. Treating with Gaduridos as an equal and as a friend rather than as a former subject is the goal of His Imperial Majesty's diplomacy with Gaduridos, and cannot come at a more crucial time."

The FM made brief reference to the Luthorian provocations in the Schismatic Sea. "Gaduridos and Kalistan, Seleyan Nations standing arm in arm, can send an irrefutable message to these foreigners who have decided they belong here as much as those nations who currently live here. We cannot permit offensive naval weaponry like the Luthorian Carrier Group to remain in the Anantonese Ocean. It is a massively destabilizing force brought in unwelcomed by an outside power who mistakes Gaduri and Kalsitani neutrality for Gaduri and Kalistani weakness. Seleyan nations are stronger if we work together, as Kalistan and Valruzia demonstrate. Gaduridos has long supported Seleyan solidarity. And we are working together now to finally clear the roadblocks to that solidarity on our continent."

Despite strenuous debate on the floor of the National Assembly, most viciously over the very notion of returning any or all of Bentasur to Gaduridos, Ontiveros and the Orthodox Majority prevailed, as expected. Both the investment plan for Xsampa and the roadmap for returning Bentasur won easy majorities, as Bretherenists and Democrats sided with the Orthodox faction. "The conclusion was never in doubt," said Ontiveros following the vote. "The January elections confirmed that Kalsitanis were happy with Orthodox government, and even Imperial Fiat was enough to swing several of the nationalists into support for the Bill. So it passed, and now we rely on Gaduridos to let us know when they are ready to proceed with the next steps of beginning to stand up their Navy. The sooner they complete that, the sooner we will take the next steps to hand Bentasur over to Gaduridos."

@TheRepublic