Kalistan

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FM Comments on Dovanian affairs
"Coups and foreign interventions are signs of failure" says Ontiveros
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
February 3, 5733


FM Ontiveros talks foreign affairs with Channel 1's Kristen Edwards

In a short interview with reporter Kristen Edwards, of KRTVN's Channel 1, His Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister, Sir Miguel Ontiveros covered Kalistan's current stance on various issues currently ongoing on the continent of Dovani.  "The worst issues are being driven by coups and foreign interventions, and that is a sign of continued failure on the part of that historically unstable continent.  We wish there was something that could be done for Dovani, but only a few nations on that continent outside of the politically stable, affluent nations of the Anantonese region, show any promise at all:  These nations tend to look more like their Anantonese cousins in the west central part of the continent than the chronically unstable and mismanaged east."

The Foreign Minister singled out a few Dovani nations for comment.  The first was Istapali.  "Well, we don't have any interests whatsoever in eastern Dovani:  What is happening in Istapali, for example, doesn't affect Kalistan at all, on any level.  It's nothing more than a tragic tale of the underdevelopment curse, where underdevelopment breeds corruption which breeds civil war, which breeds more underdevelopment, and it is a real shame that the people of that country are forced to put up with a stupidly maladroit form of government, which is only there because it has overthrown another utterly inept and from the looks of it, fully corrupted government.  There is an Ebola crisis in the nation, but various gangs of criminals are fighting over an ever-vanishing public bank account which apparently has been so fully looted of foreign money that Lourennais banks are no longer willing to prop the nation up anymore.  And there was a time when Lourenne literally gave as much money out to literally anyone who wanted it, for any reason at all, whether it was a sound financial decision or not.  So...  that says a lot about how bad its gotten in Istapali."

The Foreign Minister added emphasis to Kalistan's non-interventionist policy toward Istapali.  "Far be it from us to comment on the high likelihood of catastrophic failure and state collapse in Istapali:  it's obvious that that basketcase of a nation is headed only one way, and requires no opinion from His Imperial Majesty's government.  But I can say that Kalistan will not be involved, certainly not while any aid we may send would certainly be stolen immediately by whatever gang of thugs in that poor benighted nation gets to pretend to be a government today, long before it ever gets to the people."

The Foreign Minister offered tentative support for the victory of the monarchy in Dankuk, which is called "Baeguk" abroad.  "His Imperial Majesty supports the notion of a monarch reclaiming the nation against communist insurgents," said Sir Ontiveros, "and is inclined to pay attention to developments in the nation to try to determine the character of the regime there with an eye to improve relations." 

In the next breath, the FM condemned foreign intervention in the Dovani Nation.  "What must be spoken against, however, is the foreign intervention by places like Luthori and Nadiya, neither of whom have any business whatsoever intervening in an internal conflict in Dovani.  This is typical of these two nations and is just another example of foreign liberal internationalism rearing its extremely ugly head in our part of the world.  Kalistan is quite hesitant to reach out to a regime propped up by these foreign interventionist missions, and will indeed simply watch to see if the monarchy in Dankuk is able or willing to rid itself of these foreigners, before making a decision to reach out more formally."

The Foreign Minister finally stated that it was His Imperial Majesty's intention to reach out to Xsampa to begin restoring ties.  "We understand there is some tension between Xsampa and our new regional partner in Utaristan.  That difficulty is between those two nations and Kalistan stands above that disagreement:  it is none of our business.  But Kalistan would like to restore a more traditional orientation toward Xsampa.  Our relations were strained over their custodial crisis:  initially the Empire backed the law and order oriented Custodian, until it became evident that the Custodian would not allow himself to be bound by the constitutional order imposed over him, and at this point, Kalistan withdrew its support.  Our relations with Xsampa haven't been the same since, but His Imperial Majesty would like to take steps to remedy this."

To this end, the Foreign Minister said Kalistan intends to send preliminary missions to Metz-Leonid to make contact with Xsampan counterparts to express His Imperial Majesty's desire for reconciliation and re-opening trade and cultural exchange along the lines of the status quo ex ante.  "Kalistan is not a part of the incessant strive that plagues that continent:  We merely wish to buy and sell from Dovani to make the lives of our people better.  This may involve an olive branch to be extended from our nation.  It is our sincere hope that whatever bad blood that exists between our two nations may become water under the bridge and we can restore our historically very strong and productive relationship with the socialist nation."

@TheRepublic

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Kalistani Ambassador Summoned - "Foreigners should Remain out of Baegukese Affairs and Respect Self-Determination and the Sovereignty of Other Nations" - Baegukese Foreign Office

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Kalistani News in Brief: House Ananto announces third Pregnancy
FM expresses "confusion" over Dankuk statement; Readiness drills shift to Northern Anantonese
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
May 3, 5733


Princess Consort at home in Kaliburg, late April

House Ananto announces third Pregnancy
Her Highness, Princess Jennifer Ananto-Rosenfeld, speaking on behalf of the Royal Family announced that His Imperial Majesty Emperor William II Ananto and Her Highness, the Princess Consort Casey Leigh-Campbell are expecting their third Child. "Apparently my brother and sister in law feel that it is incumbent upon them to supply the world with Anantos enough to make their own Rugby 7s Team," the Princess said, in jest. "All joking aside, the Royal Family is excited for the new arrival, as we are sure the rest of the world is."

The Princess Consort said she is hoping for a boy this time. "We have had two beautiful little girls, but a boy would be welcomed to the house to balance things out a little. But we will have to see what fate sends our way." The pregnancy was planned said the Princess Consort. "Nicolette is three, and Bonnie is two and we decided it was time for another one." The Princess Consort said she enjoys being a mother, and both of the minor princesses have been a joy through their toddler years. "They are such different kids," said the Princess Consort. "Every day is a new experience with these two. Sometimes they are best friends, sometimes the older one wants nothing to do with the younger one, but I suppose that is part of having a sibling. Both girls seem ambivalent about the prospect of having a new baby in the house, though probably Nicolette more than Bonnie, who has said she wants a little sister like Nicolette."

Princess Jennifer said the new baby is due in mid to late December. "It would be quite amazing if (the Princess Consort) had a Yule or a New Years' Baby. But she's still fairly early in her term so within the next couple weeks we should have a much better idea of when the new baby will be born. For now, the Royal Family are just excited and are enjoying the early stages." Princess Jennifer said the Emperor and Princess Consort would like to continue having children into their thirties. "Luckily Cliff House is a large home."

FM expresses "confusion" over Dankuk statement
His Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister, Sir Miguel Ontiveros, responded to the statement made by his Dankukian counterpart, Baeguk Officer of Foreign Affairs Eulji Yiroun. "It inspires some degree of confusion in me," said Ontiveros. "On the one hand, they called my comment about foreign interventionists into the Dankuk situation an 'insult' and a 'malicious slander' and yet they won the conflict only after accepting billions in foreign aid from the petrostate in Nadiya, as well as untold numbers of foreign mercenaries supplied by both the Luthorian and Nadiyan governments into their armed forces. This is just a fact. The war very well could have gone much differently without the foreign intervention, and we were merely acknowledging that simple fact."

If Kalistan was wrong for repeating facts that the Baeguk papers themselves had supplied, the Foreign Minister said, "We will happily correct the record for our part. But these are reports the Dankuk papers themselves published concerning militaristic intervention by foreign nations into their internal conflicts, as well as the unlimited funneling of more than 5 billion Nadiyan Rubles in assistance to Dankuk during the conflict." This point, Foreign Minister Ontiveros says, "is the one that drives much of my confusion, because they say they did this themselves without any foreign intervention, and then blasted us for intervening in their internal matters. I don't get it. Either mercenaries and materiel support from foreign nations was offered, as they said it was, or it was not and Dankuk truly is 'propped up' by [nothing except] the will of Cheon and the 50 million Baegukese people.' But it can't be both ways at the same time."

FM Ontiveros said he will wait for the government in Dankuk to clarify its statements to say whether foreigners had anything at all to do with the victory of the South against the communist North before further comment from the Empire. "They have called our Ambassador in for interrogation, but Kalistan has not named an ambassador for the nation. We merely maintain Consulate services there, and the Consul General does not have the authority to speak for the Empire in that nation. We would encourage Dankuk to send a representative to Kaliburg, so they may ask us the questions they would have asked an Ambassador were one to exist."

FM Ontiveros added: "Furthermore, we have never recognized the Charter or any authority vested in any world congress, and we explicitly reject any notion of any fictional 'rules-based' international order. We do, however hold state sovereignty and absolute non-intervention in foreign conflict to be guiding principles. Dankuk says they do as well, so perhaps we would have something to speak about after all-- as soon as foreign intervention in Dankuk in the form of foreign mercenaries who have no business intervening in Dovani, and direct materiel aid from Nadiya were to end, that is. We would, after all, prefer those we speak with be consistent in their word and deed."

The Foreign Minister said he would standby for a response from Dankuk regarding their confusing position on the status of foreign interventionists in northwestern Dovani, but is in no real hurry to speak to people who "...capriciously behead their political opponents without due process--even notorious communistical terrorists like the late Ms. Buyeo--with the nation's crown jewels. I don't have to say that the Anantonese Emperor finds this method to be stunningly outrageous, and quite frankly, barbaric."

Readiness drills shift to Northern Anantonese
Last year saw readiness drills in the Schismatic Sea being conducted by the 3rd Imperial Fleet. Numerous areas of improvement were noted, with the fleet as a whole earning an 87% on the standard Regular Force Cumulative Combat Readiness Battery (also known as "RF-CRaB") Now readiness drills have been announced for this summer for the 1st Imperial Fleet, stationed at Bozo River in Ananto. The drills will take place north of the Island, in the seas between Lourenne and Egelion.

His Imperial Majesty's Defense Minister, Col Calvin Velasco, said, "While the 3rd Regular Fleet works to address its deficiencies we are moving our attention to the 1st Imperial Fleet, our flagship fleet and the one responsible for guarding out North Eastern approaches. Our exercises will focus primarily on our subsurface assets, which we will rely upon not only to locate and neutralize enemy surface traffic in time of war, but will be called upon to prevent both troop relocation over the sea via large scale troop transport shipping, but also to attack and sink civilian shipping which will aid any war efforts into the region from outside. The submarine fleets in the Northern Anantonese maintain the reputation as among the most lethal in the world, and we need to make sure they maintain their edge for the defense of our Island and our Seleyan Mainland territories."

According to Col Velasco, the 1st Fleet's theater of operations extends from the Northern Limit of the Ananto Strait through the Sea of Carina west of Seko and in all water between Ananto and Lourenne on the south to the southern shores of Keris in the north. "It's a relatively compact theater of operations meant to complement and work in tandem with the 2nd Fleet which maintains the western half of the Northern Anantonese from the Strait of Karzon to Ananto between Seleya and Keris. But it is incredibly important because if anyone is going to stab Kalistan in the back, this is the approach they will take. The Northeastern Approach is of vital strategic importance, because if we lose this, Ananto is vulnerable to naval gunfire, indiscriminate bombing, and missile and drone attack. So: we need to make sure they never make it to Ananto in the first place."

The Readiness drills will be held between June and the end of the season in late October. Civilian traffic will be advised to avoid areas where drills are taking place, for everyone's safety, and to ensure that civilians are not harmed in Kalistan's readiness operations.

@TheRepublic

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Kalistani News in Brief: Princess Victoria marries in Eveari;
Kalistan returns to Xsampa; Sulari Fashion moves away from Couture
Eveari, Grand Duchy of Ananto
October 1, 5733


Miguel Coronado-Ruz with Princess Victoria Ananto-Rosenfeld in Eveari

Princess Victoria marries in Eveari
Her Highness, Princess Victoria Ananto-Rosenfeld, youngest sister of His Imperial Majesty, Emperor William II Ananto, has married her fiance of a year and a half, Mr. Miguel Coronado-Ruz, who is a director with the National Theater Company in Kaliburg. The two were married at the ancient Eveari Meeting House in Eveari County. In attendance were His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor, Princess Consort Casey Leigh-Campbell and the two minor princelings, Princess of the Empire Carolina Ananto-Connor and Prince Elliot Rosenfeld, parents of the Princess, her sister, Princess Jennifer Ananto-Rosenfeld, her adopted aunt Princess Melanie Ananto-McLinn, other members of House Ananto, as well as the Groom's family, Mr. Antonio Coronado, himself a veteran stage actor and Ms. Katrina Ruz, the famous mezzo-soprano who sang for the Imperial Opera in Sulari for ten years, along with Diego Coronado-Ruz, the well known soap opera star and Mr. Coronado-Ruz's younger brother. Others from the Eveari Meeting also travelled to the old Meeting House, which was preserved as a historic building and used for special events, when the Eveari Meeting moved to larger facilities in the City in the 4200s.

The ceremony went off without a hitch, and consisted of a normal Brethrenist Meeting for Worship with concern to Marriage. The Princess is a devout Brethrenist, raised very strongly in the Faith and Practice by her Mother the Princess of the Empire. Mr. Coronado-Ruz identifies as "non-Practicing Aurorian" and said that in practice, he's more of an agnostic. House Ananto determined that this was not a serious conflict: The couple plan to raise their children in the Brethrenist community. According to Lady Jennifer Ananto-Rosenfeld, Mr. Coronado has been to Brethrenist meetings in the past, and conducted himself appropriately during the Marriage meeting.

The reception was held at Ananto Estate, where the community was invited to greet the newlywed couple. Several hundred Eveari residents trekked out to Ananto Estate for the party, and local band The Goats played for the event. People being introduced to Mr. Coronado found him to be a very thoughtful and ambitious man with a good sense of humor, and to be a good match for the creative Princess. In celebration of the marriage, House Ananto made a donation of K$40 million Imperial Pesos in the Princess' name, to the National Theater Company to underwrite the next three seasons of performances and to encourage theater attendance through lower ticket prices. "You may consider this donation our part to keep your husband employed," said Lady Jennifer Ananto-Rosenfeld to the Princess during her toast to the newly married couple.

Kalistan returns to Xsampa
Continuing its effort to restore normal and friendly relations with Xsampa following the Custodian crisis, reps from His Imperial Majesty's Foreign and Trade Ministries flew to Xsampa last month to discuss the restoration of the status quo ex ante with Xsampan Counterparts. "We are happy to report that the Xsampans have shown their willingness to restore normal relations with our nation, several years after the constitutional crisis within the nation has been resolved," said delegation leader Mark Newton, who serves as undersecretary for Central Dovani affairs at the Foreign Ministry. "We expressed His Imperial Majesty's regret for the strain in relations around the crisis, and said it was his desire that Kalistan and Xsampa restore our traditional friendly diplomatic and trade postures."

The early details of the talks include a restoration of trade, travel and cultural exchange between the two nations. "Xsampa was one of the primary foreign consumers of Kalistani aluminum, while we imported some EVs from the nation as well as being the primary buyer of their ethically sourced gemstones, mostly rubies. We expressed that we would like these ties restored at somewhat higher levels than before, as well as a desire to take part in Xsampa's Diamond sales with the aim of purchasing not only bulk industrial diamonds, but fine gemstone quality rough stones as well. Talks were very promising."

The Foreign Ministry expressed optimism in the discussions, and offered a very rare word of praise for a communist state. "Xsampa is and has always been a trustworthy state. We feel that their regime shows a genuine concern for the well being for their people and their workers, and we would argue that their nation represents a standard that other communist nations should strive to achieve," said His Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister Sir Miguel Ontiveros, during recent comments on the floor of the National Assembly. "If a nation has to be communist, they would do the world, and themselves, a favor to be a bit more like Xsampa."

Sulari Fashion moves away from Couture
The Sulari Fashion Houses seem to be moving away from Couture, at least in women's style, said fashion columnist Mimi Hendricks. "Well, people seem to like what they see in the press, and in Kalistan at least, much of the general consumption press is dominated with photos of Ananto women. While Carolina was rarely seen in public out of couture, even later in her reign, she began wearing more loosely fitting linens and lighterweight wools, as opposed to her very conservative high collar perfectly tailored couture styles of the earlier part of her reign. That trend is being carried forward about ten steps with the Princess Consort's, and the two Ananto Princess' more laid back fashion sensibilities. And women across the nation appear to be following suit, no pun intended."

Hendricks says that new linen and linen-cotton blends are being preferred not only by mass consumers, but also by the fashion houses in Suldanor. "We are seeing lighter weight wools too for winter weather. The weaves are becoming a bit loser, so they fit different body sizes, necklines are going down a little ways and even the ladies with fuller figures, similar to the Princess Consort are not afraid to show off a little bit. These new flirty, comfortable fashions are becoming more popular as fashion sensibility begins representing a sunnier, more flowy, warmer feel that is embodied by the Countess of Sulari's personal style, rather than the heavier, more buttoned up, smoother silhouettes that are more popular along Ananto's north coast, where it rains for almost half a year."

Casa del Valle has introduced a line of lightweight hemp-linen calico for winter already, which is a radical departure from its traditional heavier wool weaves, and while Casa Cultura Grande is still using wool, the blends and weaves are lighter weight so they fit looser on a woman's figure than they had in the past. "Women are breathing again," said Hendricks, "and quite frankly its about time. The clothes look good, they feel good, and they emphasize a femininity that is fun and active. This is a departure from the far more conservative, prim and almost monastic trends of Kalistani fashion over the past few decades. We expect these trends to firmly take hold across the nation as the ladies come out of winter bundling against the damp cold next spring. Then Kalistan will bloom like a beautiful garden."

Men's fashion, said Hendricks, remains "locked down. Though," she added, "there is a move to lighter wools even in men's suits, and we are starting to see corduroys appear. That's an interesting development." Hendricks said that the Emperor was recently photographed in a dark gray corduroy suit. "It sent a mini shockwave through the men's fashion aisle at stores in Kalistan when it happened."

@TheRepublic

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Kalistani Consulate in Gongmangdo, Baeguk forced to shutter

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Jerk Magnet draws Controversy on Debut Outing
Conservative Mothers object to naked women on record covers
Sulari, Duchy of Suldanor
March 19, 5734


Reed Model Keeley Jones draws controversy for posing nude on album cover

The Sulari punk/metal quartet Jerk Magnet has released their debut record, Kalistani Girls Hate Us on LCR, and have immediately been slammed by conservative parents groups. Their complaint is that the record has an obscene cover featuring jewelry model Keeley Jones. "Our kids who are at the record store should not have to look at this smut when they want to find music from their favorite artists," said Megan Crawford, spokeswoman for Kalistanis for Decency, a new parents' group founded with the aim of cleaning up Kalistan's music. "We would like our Government to reform its obscenity laws to prevent filth like this from being on display at our record stores."

Last Chance Records, the Sulari-based punk and hip hop label responded to Kalistanis for Decency with the following statement: "The band themselves picked the photo. It was taken with Ms. Jones' full knowledge and consent, and the photo is in no way indicative of the mechanical recording of the album found underneath the cover. The image is designed to draw publicity for this otherwise unknown band in an attempt to promote album sales. And the band accepts all responsibility for their choices. LCR is a reputable record company, and the members of Kalistanis for Decency would be invited to buy a copy of the record and see for themselves if the recording quality of the band's songs are not an accurate representation of the various studio sessions the band conducted to make these fourteen songs available for their customers and fans in recorded form."

Ms. Jones, who recently signed to a modeling contract with Reed Jeweler, says she did the photoshoot as a favor for her friend, who is dating the lead singer of the band. "My friend, Gina, who is dating (Jerk Magnet lead singer and rhythm guitarist Max Hollingsworth) knew that I was doing modelling, and asked me if I would be willing to model for their album, to kind of help the band out. I had to check out my contract with Reed, which only prevented me from taking pictures wearing other people's jewelry, a sort of non-compete clause, but, well, as you can see, I am not wearing any jewelry at all in the photo." Jones said doing the photo nude was her own idea. "Sex sells," she said "even in a country that's as permissive around sexuality as Kalistan is. So I gave them a very tasteful nude photo for their cover. I told them that if they sell a million records they can give me some of the royalties from this record, but for the shoot, I only took a single peso. What do I need the money for? I was doing a favor for my best friend."

Crawford and her decency crusaders were not put off by the Record company's dismissal of their concerns. "No, we are not going to be buying a record called 'Kalistani Girls Hate Us.' That suggestion is ridiculous. I have no intention of subjecting myself, or my family, to that sort of filth. I mean for crying out loud, the band is called Jerk Magnet. What kind of name is that?!"

Mr. Hollingsworth said the protest over the album's cover was ridiculous. "Look: Keeley's picture on the cover is just a picture. Is it her fault she looks like a model? I think these mothers are just jealous, to be completely honest. We're musicians. We're not photographers. You should judge us by the quality of our music, and then tell us if we're being obscene..." Mr. Hollingsworth said the names of some of the songs are just jokes. "Our first single, 'Long Slick and Olive Green' is about a muscle car I own. It's not even really a good play on words. We have some other songs on there... 'Get your Ass Out' Well, that one is about running around naked in public, but not in a sexual way... It's like a prank or a joke... Let's see... "star f--ker...' uh that's about touring across Kalistan... All of these songs are about partying and having fun. Nothing on this record is obscene... Well, 'Touch the Sky'... yeah, that's one's about a stripper... Anyway, these songs rock... Nobody can tell us they don't."

Most critics who did actually listen to the record said it was a fairly good record despite the controversy. "Sulari's Jerk Magnet bring a juvenile attitude to the radio," said the Kalistani Rawk Monthly review of Kalistani Girs Hate us. "But the songs are a ton of fun, a lot of energy. There's enough groove here to deny it solid punk cred, but the songs themselves are very straight forward, almost bare bones, riff driven and occasionally very thrashy and speedy, so they keep at least five toes in the punk genre. This leads for a very interesting solidly alternative album, with well crafted songs loaded with enough innuendo to keep every 13 year old dude from Sulari to Kaliburg giggling as he believes he is decoding the lyrics, but also to keep the thrashers and skate punks moshing at the shows. If you want a solid, no-skip rollercoaster that feels fueled by cocaine and everclear, Kalistani Girls Hate Us ain't the worst record you can pick up."

Crawford said she and her group plan to organize a boycott of all stores that sell the record. "Maybe if we hit these smut peddlers in their pocketbooks, they will take us seriously." She and fourteen other mothers signed a petition to LP Outlet, Sulari's largest record store, saying they will not be buying anything from the store, and will encourage everyone they know to also boycott the store until LP Outlet commits to refuse to stock this, or any record that is deemed too obscene for children. LP Outlet, contacted for comment said that they had already sold out of the three copies that LCR had sent to them. "In all honesty," said Company Spokesman Eric Allison, "We get so many records in here a day it is kind of hard to keep track of little bands like this, who really aren't on the radio or whatever. Like who cares about a band named Jerk Magnet. Are you serious? And LCR usually sends us these records from bands nobody has ever heard of, just trying to recoup on them. They usually go in the 10 Peso bins, but it looks like we sold all three copies we had last week, and will probably be ordering another dozen this week, since there's all this controversy around it. Jerk Magnet might be recouping after all..."

You can see for yourself if all the controversy is warranted. We linked "Long, Slick and Olive Green", Jerk Magnet's first single from Kalistani Girls Hate Us, released on LCR featuring a tasteful nude of Ms. Keeley Jones, as well as the full LP below. If you are offended, Kalistani's for Decency would certainly like to speak with you.

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VL5LV9PVZ8]
"Long, Slick and Olive Green", Sulari Punk/Metal band Jerk Magnet's first single on LCR

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-rWned1MUs]
Jerk Magnet's Kalistani Girls Hate Us full stream. Kids, do not look at that cover.

@KalistaniRawkMonthly

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Chancellor of the Empire clarifies statements on Dankuk
"FM had opportunity to explain," said Mickelson
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
April 8, 5734


Chancellor Mickelson addresses National Assembly on Dankuk's expulsion of Kalistani Consulate

The strange diplomatic tension between Kalistan and Dankuk stepped up a notch recently as Dankuk, called The Kingdom of Great Bae within that nation, has expelled Kalistani consular staff, whose job it was to process visas for travelers, offer basic legal services and travel information, and maintain an open channel between the two nations. "We want to express to the government of Dankuk that the Foreign Minister has had the opportunity to explain his comments, and I can personally vouch that he meant no personal offense to the people of that nation, nor their leadership. The term Dankuk is the historically common term in both Luthorian and Vrassan. It has zero ties whatsoever to fascism, support for fascism, or sympathy for fascism. Its just how our mutual tongue renders the word. The Foreign Minister understands that there may be a nuance there for people in the nation, but as we are speaking to Kalistanis who speak Vrassan, if we were to say Baeguk, nobody here would really know what we were even talking about."

The Chancellor said that the situation is exactly the same the Beiteynu/Amudim rebrand, or the Indrala/Yingdala rename. "It's the exact same: They chose to rename themselves Yingdala. But we do not speak Indralan in Kalistan. We speak Vrassan, and in our language, the word is Indrala. Same as if we were speaking Egelian: In Vrassan, the word is house, in Egelian, it is casa. The word is describing the same exact building. But if I was speaking Vrassan to Vrassan speakers, and I slipped 'casa' into the sentence, it would seem weird when all the other words I said were Vrassan. I'm sorry that members of His Imperial Majesty's government have offended members of the Government of Dankuk/Baeguk, but it is a fact of our language that we cannot help, unless we stop speaking Vrassan." He said the use of Nadiya externally instead of Trigunia is a special situation, "the exception, rather than the rule. Internally, the nation is now, and will always be Trigunia. Because that is what the nation is."

But that this trick of the language should so offend the government in the northern kingdom to the point that it should close the Kalistani Consulate there is inexplicable to the Chancellor. "We have accepted the peaceful closure of our consulate there, in the Dankuk capital. We don't understand it, but we accept it. And we have recalled our citizens. Currently, the Consulate listed about 765 Kalistani nationals in the country, and most applied for assistance in returning shortly before the consulate was closed. Many of these people were associated with importing and exporting from Dankuk's main port."

The Consulate assured the Foreign Minister that all were safe and none had been molested in any way by the state. "This is a decent thing to do," said the Chancellor about Dankuk's decision to leave Kalistanis to find their own way out of the nation without bothering them, "and the same sort of protection has been offered to local Dankuk nationals in Kalistan. We have also sent a message to the Government in Dankuk that we have a mutual interest in expelling those nationals who have affiliation with the old Communist regime, and would be willing to informally cooperate with their agents in capture and extradition of known communists in our nation back to Dankuk to stand trial."

The Chancellor however did not budge on Kalistani allegations of foreign intervention in the Dovani state. "We maintain that neither Nadiyan, nor Luthorian mercenaries belong on Dovani soil," said Chancellor Mickelson. "It is not interventionary for us to say so. This is a matter of principle. Luthori is one of the most interventionist nations in the world, and Luthorian nationals fighting for the Dankukean military undermines the claims made by Dankuk that they liberated themselves from the Communist menace. And the presence of Nadiyan soldiers and even worse, direct monetary and materiel aid from Nadiya, which is provided by their constant exploitation of polluting petrocarbon, is imperialism in its worst form. Literally oil money being used to win a war against communism, and prop up a state following its victory. This is disgraceful."

The Chancellor said that the issue of foreign mercenaries and military aid in Dankuk is a far more important matter than the pique expressed over a name. "His Imperial Majesty had hoped, rather than to be expelled, to build a fraternal bond between two monarchies and build a foundation for cooperation. The Emperor had hoped to watch the King's actions vis a vis the foreign interventionists for a sign that Dankuk was truly independent and sovereign, and was not to be influenced by Artanian military imperialism or Kerisian corporate imperialism. Unfortunately, the Government of Dankuk decided to address the least important aspect of the Foreign Minister's comments rather than the most important. And so His Imperial Majesty continues to maintain his position of non-involvement."

The Chancellor of the Empire stressed that the door remains open for better relations. "The Emperor does not dislike Dankuk. This is not personal, and he is optimistic that there will be a shift away from the influence of these foreigners. But the optimism is cautious. At any rate, Artania should focus on its own back yard and stay completely out of our region, and Nadiya should stop polluting our environment so it can use its money and soldiers to influence foreign nations. While those two things continue, there is obviously no room for Kalistan there: We would like to discuss matters with the King, not with foreign puppetmasters."

The statement was politely applauded by most Deputies in the National Assembly, but a little more enthusiastically by the Nationalists, who have been urging a more regionalist foreign policy from the Orthodox plurality for years.

@TheRepublic

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Kalistan leads the world in reducing global warming
Environmental Minister Alice says investments in tree planting paying dividends
Eveari, Grand Duchy of Ananto
May 8, 5734


Kalistani Redwood forests, like this grove on Ananto's North Coast, planted under Empress Mary act as giant carbon sink in Kalistan

In direct response to the bragging done by the Government of Nadiya concerning their national policy of global climate pollution, His Imperial Majesty's Minister for Environment and Tourism, Alice Foreal called the announcement "propaganda" and said that Kalistan has been diligently and successfully combatting global climate warming for more than 100 years. "Even before the reign of Empress Mary Ananto, Kalistanis have been working actively and continuously to undermine the efforts of nations who see their own parochial gains in the pollution of the global environment," said Minister Foreal. "Beginning when we ended production of petroleum ourselves, we have dedicated hundreds of billions to the cause of cleaning the environment, the water and the air, and we today carry much of the burden for a lot of the world."

Minister Foreal pointed to Mary's ambitious redwood tree program, which eventually planted more than 50 million redwoods, some of which are celebrating their 100th Birthday this year. "Kalistan's forests are Mary's legacy, and we are celebrating the 100th year since the first tree plantings this year," said Foreal. "She not only restored one of the most valuable renewable resources in Kalistan's forests, but she also gave us a potent tool to take more carbon out of the air than vicious nations like Nadiya annually throw into it. This serves to more than undermine Nadiya's gross pollution efforts, and help to maintain the stability of the globe's temperatures and weather patterns, regardless of what some Nadiyan propagandist claims."

Foreal said Kalistan does not have good data on how much damage Nadiya does annually to the environment. "Everything that comes from that government cannot be taken at face value," said Foreal. "But if they are destroying the environment as fast as their Commissioner claims they are, their air must be toxic, and the land they claim to reclaim from the tundra must be filled with toxic carcinogenic chemicals so horrific that the agriculture they hope to utilize the land for would be impossible. Because otherwise, how would they be able to negate the effect of more than 50 million redwoods in northern Kalistan and hundreds of millions of other trees across the rest of our nation? Kalistan's highlands and cities have become arboretums, and these massive mature forests across Kalistan and most of rest of Northern Seleya, negate carbon pollution in the atmosphere better than any artificial carbon sequestration program ever could."

Besides, Forreal said, Nadiya is just one country. "They may have an unrealistic amount of oil in that little nation that they burn night and day, but Kalistan is roughly equivalent in terms of area. While Kalistan alone is not responsible for all the efforts to reduce global climate destruction that is conducted deliberately by the Nadiyan Government, Nadiya is literally the only nation actively polluting the environment. It is hard to believe the numbers they claim regarding their success in melting the tundra without imagining that they have lit their entire nation on fire to produce the results the government there claims. Furthermore, there are no other reports of similar global warming anywhere else. Nor do we read reports of the fallout of Nadiya's massive pollution efforts in other nations. So it is impossible for a reasonable person to assume that the polluters actually are winning."

Meanwhile, Kalistan will go on counteracting increasing greenhouse gasses in the environment. "We see continued use of petrocarbons to be an assault on the wellbeing of our people," said Foreal. "And unlike other nations, Kalistan is not satisfied to sit by and let our children get lung cancer while our fishing stocks and reefs are depleted by oil waste. We have joined the fight against the gross polluters more than a century ago, and we have been actively pursuing anti-global warming policies for much longer than this. Nadiya may believe that pollution of the air is in their own national interests, but to achieve this they also have to accept the negative health effects of massive pollution too, and to date, the National Government have never admitted to any of these. So we can only assume that we, and the nations who are committed to reducing atmospheric and water pollution are actually winning the battle. We stand ready to help all those who are sick of nations like Nadiya trying to kill us all for their own benefit." Even if they aren't actually successful in doing so.

@TheRepublic

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KalNaPeCo will be formally reorganized
KPO to relaunch as Kalistani National Energy
Sulari, Duchy of Suldanor
January 4, 5735


KNE to replace KPO as Kalistan's single national energy corporation

Over KalNaPeCo's 1800 year history, as one of the oldest nationalized companies, Kalistan has seen a number of changes. Founded during the height of Socialist Party power, the company began its life as a nationalized oil producer, similar to Gaduridos' PeGad. But when Kalistan became the first (and to date, only) nation in Terran History to actually run out of exploitable oil, despite its claimed abundance in the Anantonese Ocean in the early 5500s KPO's mission shifted to operation of renewable energy sources such as hydroelectric dams, geothermal plants, and solar and wind farms. It retained the brand of KPO, but now KPO did everything except petroleum.

For the first time since its founding, the board of KPO last week refused to apply for a renewal of the KPO charter, but instead filed with securities regulators for a top to bottom reorganization of the company under a new charter and new bylaws. The new company, which will take over all KPO operations will launch in March, and will be known as Kalistani National Energy. All stock will be transferred on a 1 to 1 basis, following an expected 2:1 split in February. Between the split and the transfer to the new corporate entity, those seeking to divest will be given the opportunity to do so, because KNE stock is expected to open far lower than the old legacy brand. The split is designed to restore majority public ownership over the corporation, which has slipped as private investors, including Miramar have pushed the board to issue more publicly available stock over the years, diluting the public share.

"Kalistan still holds the largest block of stock in the corporation, but they are no longer the majority stakeholder," said CFO Robin Martinez, speaking at KPO headquarters in Sulari. "Our board has approved public auctions over the years as we have been tasked to take on new projects, including the high dams and the geothermal plants in Ananto. The result is that the National Government can be theoretically outvoted by private investors, including the Royal Family, on any measure, and that gets away from the purpose of a nationalized company."

To reorganize, KNE will act as a horizontal and vertical monopoly, with divisions for each sector of energy creation and distribution. "Each of these divisions will report to a centralized planning board who will answer to the National Government, specifically to the Ministry of Infrastructure," said Martinez. "We are also expecting to completely reorganize the Corporate leadership structure, and replacing a lot of people who aim toward profitability demanded by our shareholders with technocrats whose job it is to improve service to our consumers." The reorganization aims at turning KNE into a major public utility. "This was its original intention."

The new Charter, corporate structure and bylaws are awaiting approval by Ministry of Infrastructure and securities regulators approval. "One of the major holdups is that they are trying to ensure that those who bought in at a specific price don't lose their shirts when the new corporation launches," said Martinez. "While we are KPO we have a fiduciary responsibility to our current shareholders--they bought stock assuming KPO would be around forever. But the decision to reorganize was made not only by management, but in response to Imperial fiat: Our shareholders would justifiably be concerned for their investment if the conditions that they thought they were investing in were changed for them. So the Securities board wants to make sure everything is airtight and those who want to get out can." Martinez says she expects more than enough investors to leave to open up enough stock to permit the Government to acquire its 51% in the company, "and if not, we are authorized to make a non competitive stock bid to the national government to bring them up to the 51%." Either action will dilute the value of the stock causing the price to drop fairly precipitously.

The current stock price of KPO in the KalSiE sits at around K$265 a share, setting the market capitalization of the company at over 1.1 trillion Imperial Pesos. After the split, the stock is expected to fall to around K$140, but sales will be restricted until the government can purchase enough stock to bring them up to the required 51%. Once that threshold is met, the company will officially file its corporate documents and the conversion to KNE will be approved at that point. "Meanwhile, we are seeing a lot of volatility ahead of the split as investors scramble to take as much profit as they can from the rapidly vanishing KPO stock symbol. This is fine, but it is also finite. It will not last long, and speculation is not advised, because those who hold out will likely be disappointed when the split happens." So far the major holders include Miramar and several Sulari based institutional investors who invest in energy sector. Many of the retail investors are heading for the doors, looking for greener pastures in the private sector.

@TheRepublic

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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