Flag of the Republic of Paldavia
Map of Atlas (with Paldavia) : http://i.imgur.com/ckmYiOl.png
President of Paldavia, Ivan Solomev
Short Background
The Republic of Paldavia is a landlocked and poor country in the Atlas Region. It is located due south of Bratislav and West of Cydonia. Paldavia has deep cultural, historical, and political ties with Bratislav. The Paldavian language is effectively a dialect of Bratislavian and they are the ethnic cousins of the Bratislavians.
During the Kingdom of Bratislav, which reigned for many centuries, Paldavia was a province of Bratislav. Some of the best generals in the Royal Army of Bratislav came from Paldavia. However, during the Great War, as the Kingdom of Bratislav slowly crumbled, Paldavian separatists, supported by Bratislav's rivals, separated from Bratislav. Paldavia adopted a neutral policy as Bratislav turned into a Socialist Republic. When Bratislav's Socialist Government fell and a democratic revolution established the current Republic of Bratislav, the Republic of Paldavia quickly signed a deeply ranging cooperation pact with Bratislav.
Over the years, Paldavia has become very reliant on Bratislav for economic and political aid. The two countries have very close relations as a result. However, poverty and corruption is still a deep problem in Paldavia. As a result, calls for unification with Bratislav have increased over the years.
What is happening now
After the recent parliamentary election, the majority center-right party has pushed through a legislation that begins formal negotiations for the unification of Paldavia with Bratislav. The President of Paldavia, Ivan Solomev, has said that he will respect the legislature's resolution and work with fellow officials to begin the negotiations. President Solomev has very close ties with the Bratislavian right-wing leadership and has many assets in Bratislav. Some critics believe that unification would greatly benefit Solomev, his businesses and family more so than anything else.
Opinions in Paldavia and Bratislav
"This unification is one of the biggest dangers to our nation. Our corrupt officials are selling this country to Bratislav in order to save their skin! It is criminal what the legislature approved yesterday. President Solomev is President Albanov's puppet and will do whatever he is told by Mr. David Albanov. He has sold all our infrastructure to the Bratislavians. He is a true traitor. The Republic of Bratislav has been eyeing to annex us for a while, they have taken aggressive measures to ensure this, I just can't tell you how strong Bratislav's lobby is here. The world must stand against this! This cannot go through! This is illegal! What can I tell you when I say that I have seen Bratislavian marked military vehicles in some areas of the country!" - Leader of the main leftist opposition in Paldavia
"Unification with fraternal Bratislav will greatly improve the economic situation of our struggling country. We have been assured wide ranging autonomous rights, when we unite with Bratislav. Our separation only weakens our great countries. We are after-all one nation and we should live in the same country." - High ranking official in center-right Paldavian political party
"We support Paldavia's calls for unification with Bratislav. We will also respect Paldavia's democratic decision to initiate this process. We will work closely with the Paldavian Government to ensure a seamless and transparent negotiation phase regarding this unification. We stand with our Paldavian brothers in this." - President Albanov of Bratislav