Lodamun

[imperialpearl]

Although it has been noted that both nations have maintained cordial relations, diplomatic and/or even economic contact between Lodamun and Deltaria has been largely non-existent. Lodamun’s policy towards the Majatran continent has been largely marked by its inherent distrust of the Beiteynuese-led order on the continent, which has in many parts led to what some have considered an underdeveloped ‘Majatra Policy.’ Although successive administrations have made attempts towards engaging with the continent, albeit through engaging certain, “like-minded” states on the continent namely Kafuristan, their engagement with other territories outside of this self-imposed bubble has been minimal. Yet, out of the announcement of a new, more open-minded government in Čahtica, the Haney Administration believes that there is an opportunity to be had in expanding its engagement with Deltaria. 

Deltaria has long occupied an interesting space in the Majatran continent. The nation has seen numerous political systems, economic models and geopolitical strategies all of which have set it aside from others on the continent as a clear non-conformist. Although it has lent its historic strength to some of the continent’s more successive regional integration movements including the MSCO and the Majatran Association (MA), it has traditionally maintained a position on the continent as a broad independent. Some have noted that from that angle, there are numerous similarities which could be drawn between Lodamun and Deltaria, particularly on their historic “independence” streaks. Although for Lodamun such a streak has come to a sort of ending as the nation slipped into the Anantonese Empire, it nonetheless maintains a unique sort of independence under the AE structure.

The election of President Dražen Aleksić and the dramatic transformation of the Deltarian internal governance apparatus have been received by many as a net positive for both the economy and regional security. “Immediately out the door, President Aleksić has demonstrated that his government is keen on restructuring the Deltarian state to exert much-needed stability in Southern Majatra. A resurgent Deltaria in this regard is certainly a nation we can work with,” State Department Press Secretary Raymond Hill, explained. According to PS Hill, Secretary of State Oliver Caillou and Merchant-General Charlotte Farr were reportedly en route to Čahtica to meet with President Aleksić and key members of his cabinet. He noted that although Secretary Caillou intends to use the meeting as a means of first brokering diplomatic and economic relations between the two states, he’d also use it as an opportunity to advance greater coordination among nations becoming increasingly involved in the Solentian humanitarian crisis. 

Recently, both President Aleksić and Foreign Minister Nikola Hrnjkaš met with officials from the Ahmadi Union (the leading political entity in Solentia) where his government pledged some T25m (LOD $24.240m) in humanitarian aid to the party. The Lodamese State Department is currently coordinating a major humanitarian effort in the nation involving airdrops in the Solentian interior and the construction of a temporary sea-side distribution centre for humanitarian aid on the nation’s eastern and southern coastline. “The Secretary believed that this was an opportunity for both our nations to cooperate and to coordinate our efforts. He intends to broach the idea of a potential deal for the transfer of Solentian refugees for temporary resettlement in Deltaria under the auspices of Lodamese financial aid. Under that proposal, Deltaria would be asked to accept refugees from Solentia and the Lodamese Government, through the Lodamese Agency for International Development (LAID) will cover much of the costs associated with their transfer and resettlement,” Hill explained.

Beyond this, MG Farr is expected to meet with key figures in the Deltarian government and the business community on opportunities for trade and foreign investment. Deltaria has traditionally maintained one of the more dynamic economies on the Majatran continent if not its strongest. However, amidst decades of mismanagement at the hands of successive governments, much of the nation’s economic success had withered away. President Aleksić’s dramatic reforms have sparked interest in Deltaria by numerous Lodamese firms alongside the Harrington Company, who note that the eventual stabilisation of the nation’s economy had lifted much of its profile in the eyes of potential investors. “The Harrington Company is nonetheless extremely interested in forming new bonds between Lodamun and Deltaria. If what both President Aleksić and Governor [of the Deltarian National Bank] Ilija Oreški have said is to be believed, we are certainly in store for a major rebound in the nation’s economy and a reversal of its downward growth prospect,” PS Hill said. 

Of particular interest in the Harrington Company, PS Hill stated that the return of stable governance in Čahtica increases the potential for a deal between Lodamun and Deltaria on iron and uranium exports. The planned privatisation of Lodamese Steel and the liberalisation of the Lodamese steel industry has sparked increased demand for iron imports whilst growing energy demand and a national refocusing on nuclear energy by the Civil Projects Administration (CPA) and the Office of Atomic Energy (OAE) has peaked national demand for uranium. “Certainly a trade agreement between our two states is something the Merchant-General will discuss with Trade Minister Dražen Kremenić and could form the foundation for a broader economic relationship between Lodamun and Dletaria,” Hill concluded.