Council of Esquarium [IC, Closed]

[Aucuria]

The Aucurian delegate turned on his microphone.

"Mr. President, on behalf of the government of Aucuria would like to call for an emergency debate in this Council about the proposed Luziycan refoulement of the Kheratian asylum-seekers who arrived on EC soil on the submarine K-70."

"Mr. President, we express deep concern with Luziycan President Damir Agapov's remark that, and I quote, 'we are more than willing to return the crew to Kheratia, provided that they do not imprison the families of the crew'. Given Kheratia's status as an IFDS member and authoritarian regime with a spotty human rights record, we cannot condone the notion of throwing these brave asylum-seekers back into the fire from whence they escaped based on the unreliable and unverifiable word of a regime with a severely deficient commitment to human rights. The Kheratian regime could easily lie through its teeth, harass and harm their families while claiming they weren't, and dupe the Luziycan government into handing over these brave individuals, back into the hands of the vengeful regime they were fleeing. To take this course of action would be to forsake our principles and our morals for no tangible benefit."

"Not only do we lack a way of reliably and independently verifying that the Kheratian government is keeping its word, and not only would this almost-inevitably lead to brutal retaliation against these individuals and their loved ones by the Kheratian regime, we have no way of guaranteeing that these people would receive the legal rights to which they are accorded- right to a fair and public trial, right to presumption of innocence, right to legal representation, protection from self-incrimination, protection of their privacy and dignity, protection from double-jeopardy and cruel or inhumane punishment. To send these people back to Kheratia would be to deprive them of the rights to which they are entitled."

"These people are almost certainly going to be persecuted and punished by the Kheratian regime for their heroic deed. We cannot rely on the empty words of a human rights violator regarding the treatment of their families, or how they will be treated should they be turned over to the Kheratian regime. For that reason, we must vehemently protest the proposed refoulement of these individuals by the Luziycan government."

"Thank you."

[Luziyca]

"Mr. President," Taras Pashkov said, "since our initial offer to the Kheratian government concerning repatriation of the sailors, the Christian Republic has received blatant misinterpretations from the Kheratian government concerning our demands that the families of the sailors not be punished for the 'sins of their fathers,' and interpreted them as having the crew not be punished for their actions."

"In addition, according to state media, the families of the crew were taken off base and transported by buses to an unknown location. As their whereabouts and condition are unknown, we can only presume that they are being harmed, which is exactly the opposite of the conditions that we have placed upon the Kheratian government for the facilitation of the repatriation of the sailors," Pashkov stated. "As it seems clear that the Kheratian government seems to have refused our offer, and seems to have transported the families to be tortured or worse, the Christian Republic has decided to not repatriate the sailors back to Kheratia, and instead grant them asylum within the Christian Republic."

"Therefore, Mr. President," Pashkov said, "while we acknowledge the protests of the Aucurian delegation, let the Council note that the reason for our reversal was not because of pressure from anyone within this chamber, but rather, because the actions of the regime since we have issued our offer have proven that they cannot be trusted."

"Thank you," concluded Taras Pashkov.

[Montecara]

“Mr. President, I would like to draw the attention of the Council to the fact that Tuthina has extended a significant privilege to Esquarian citizens: namely, visa-free travel access. To be clear, this was a unilateral decision on the part of the Tuthinan government and no negotiations were held with the EC before the action was taken. We believe, Mr. President, that this act indicates a markedly increased willingness on the part of the Tuthinan leadership to engage with the outside world and to relax the policy of isolation that has defined their international affairs for so long.

In a context of increasing global tensions between the democracies represented by the EC and the autocracies of the IFDS, it it more important than ever to encourage states which find themselves in the middle ground to liberalize. We believe, Mr. President, that Tuthina is doing just that by taking this action.

Furthermore, we move to encourage this process of openness and exchange by placing Tuthina on Schedule A of the Visa and Consular Affairs Act, which would reciprocate their granting of visa-free status. This is a simple and clear action that is fully within the remit of the Council, and we look forward to its adoption. Thank you.”

[Luziyca]

"Mr. President," Pashkov said, "The Christian Republic has no objection to the proposal presented by the Montecaran delegation."

[Karazawa]

"Mr.President, the Caconzicua Karazawi has no objection to the proposal presented by the Montecaran delegation. Even if the state of Tuthina does not share many ideas with us, our past relations have been cordial, albeit not warm. Furthering our ties with them, especially when they have started the process, is an opportunity we don't have the privilege to ignore. Thank you."

[Aucuria]

The Aucurian delegate turned on his microphone.

"Mr. President, on behalf of the government of Aucuria would like to call for an emergency debate in this Council about the recent aggressive moves made against the Christian Republic of Luziyca, a member of this organization, by the People's Republic of Namor, an observer in this organization. These actions pose a clear threat against a member state of the EC, and a threat to peace in Borea, and as a result is imperative that we address them."

"In recent weeks, the actions undertaken by the government of the People's Republic of Namor with regards to the disputed territory of Nantai, currently a part of Luziyca but claimed by the Namorese, have grown increasingly belligerent. Namor's motivation in doing so appears, to outside observers such as ourselves, to be based around the fact that Luziyca will be allowing the Nantainese to vote in a referendum about whether or not they wish to remain a part of Luziyca or become a part of Namor."

"I want to emphasize this point: the root of these increasingly provocative and belligerent actions is the fact that the Luziycan government is allowing the Nantainese people to freely and fairly exercise their right to democratic self-determination. This is the basic right of any people, and yet Namor's response to it is to ape Xiaodong or the UNIR, and threaten fire and fury against its neighbor should it commit the supposed crime of letting the Nantainese exercise their democratic rights."

"Namor's responses have grown increasingly belligerent, and increasingly detrimental to peace in Borea as time has passed. We are now at a point where Namor has declared a no-fly zone and is harassing shipping in nearby waters, in the name of starving out the city, and is sending thousands of troops into the surrounding region. Every Namorese action with regards to Nantai increasingly seems to say that Shohai Antelope's regime wants war- war against a member of this organization."

"It is imperative that we obtain an explanation from the Namorese observer here today as to why Namor seems so opposed to the rights of the Nantainese that it is willing to wage an unjustified war of aggression over a democratic vote. It is even more imperative that this organization take a stance regarding the threats made against one of its long-standing members, and call for an end to the aggressive rhetoric that imperils peace in Borea."

"Thank you."

[Luziyca]

"Mr. President, we second the motion presented by the Aucurian delegation," Taras Pashkov said.

[Ainin]

"Without objection, so ordered. We shall be moving into an open-ended emergency debate regarding recent Namorese movements against the Christian Republic of Luziyca in Nantai."

[Luziyca]

"Mr. President," Taras Pashkov began, "if I may, it is essential to explain to the delegates in this room how we got to the current situation where a Fourth Namo-Luziycan War seems inevitable."

"Since the election of Shohai Antelope, relations with Namor have gone downhill: in January of 2017, he called detente a 'burden.' In March, the Namorese Central Council passed legislation which prohibited 'unauthorized "prolonged and exhaustive contact" between Luziycan officials and most Namorese lawmakers and officials.' Agapov's predecessor, Madam Pivec tried to appease Namor by implementing the Pivec Doctrine, which was met with substantial backlash and forced her to resign. Agapov reversed the Pivec doctrine, stating that the constituent republic of Nantai 'will not be transferred to Namor without the consent of the Nantainese public.'"

"Then in November of that year, days before the midterm elections, the Namorese Air Force flew over Nantai and were not shot down," Pashkov explained. "This helped contribute to the NLP winning in the elections, and one of the first things they did was table the Katsarou-Vasiliev Act, which was defeated in Senate, but not before it damaged relations to the point where in March of 2018, Shohai pushed for a constitutional amendment that would give the President-General power to wage "defensive wars" without prior authorization from the Central Council. We threatened to increase our military presence in Nantai if the amendment passed, and they responded by suspending the hotline with the Presidential Palace in Bethlehem."

"Which, Mr. President, brings us to the current situation: after Namor cut another hotline in late September, the Luziycan government applied for, and was granted, a counter-injunction against an injunction to suspend a 2016 Nantainese referendum, so the people of Nantai may exercise their right to self-determination, even if Agapov did turn back from his promise that there would be no referendum without Namorese consent, since it is legal under Luziycan law. The events caused as a result of this has been described quite well by the delegate from Aucuria."

"As such, Mr. President," Pashkov said, "with the background presented to you, we believe that a war in central Borea would be devastating to international trade: the Third Namo-Luziycan War was a major factor in the stagflation of Luziyca's economy in the 1970s. We also believe that a Fourth Namo-Luziycan War will be completely catastrophic to both Luziyca and Namor, even if it would be a purely conventional war."

"Therefore, as Mr. Agapov has said about a month ago, the Christian Republic is still willing to go to the negotiating table in a neutral country, preferably within the Esquarian Community, and not aligned to either Luziyca or Namor, to resolve this crisis, if the current Namorese administration is willing to accept the offer for talks."

[Eibenland]

The Eibenlander delegate began to speak.

"The situation that has developed over the referendum in Nantai is of serious concern. The People's Republic of Namor appears to be mobilizing for a military response and is threatening to shoot down even passenger planes that breach the no-fly zone it has imposed over the Luziycan-controlled portion of Nantai. Let us consider the absurdity of a nation attempting to enforce a no-fly zone over territory it does not control."

"These events risk destabilizing Borea and could have consequences for the rest of the world. All this would be because of an overreaction to a democratic vote. Eibenland would like to join the Christian Republic of Luziyca's call for talks in a neutral country, involving the Esquarian Community."

[Namor]

"Mr. President, I would like to clarify Namor's position on the current situation in the Nantai Prefecture of West Namor. Unfortunately, some delegates in this chamber continue to present a biased and inaccurate account of recent developments. The Council of Esquarium plays an indispensable role in policymaking within the Esquarian Community and thus has an obligation to derive the truth from solid facts, not fitful emotions and misplaced judgments.

"Mr. President, Nantai is a part of Namor. That is not just our position — that is Luziyca's position, and it is the position of the Esquarian Community. On October 7, 2012, the Shjoraski administration of Luziyca concurred that the parts of Nantai under Luziycan administration are a sovereign territory of Namor. Last year, Namor and the Esquarian Community signed the Association Agreement between the Esquarian Community and the People's Republic of Namor, of which Article 6 recognizes the aforementioned agreement regarding the sovereign ownership of Nantai as the basis of future resolutions to the Nantai Question. Luziyca voted for that agreement.

"In spite of these existing agreements, the Luziycan regime has repeatedly attempted to undermine Namor's sovereignty and territorial integrity. In 2016, the regime unilaterally organized an exclusionary so-called referendum with the goal of imposing Luziycan sovereignty over Nantai but suspended it due to widespread domestic and international opposition. Later that year, the regime resisted efforts by the Esquarian Parliament to deny it the power to seat Nantai as a Luziycan constituency, but to no avail.

"Due to electoral pressures at home, the Luziycan regime has stepped up its attempts to undermine Namorese sovereignty over Nantai this year. The Luziycan delegate just admitted that the unilateral decision to hold a so-called referendum on Nantai's status violated the regime's earlier promises to reach a bilateral resolution to the Nantai Question. We would add that this so-called 'referendum' does not meet international standards of a free, fair, and respectable vote; Namorese in Nantai who oppose Luziycan integration have opted out, Namorese citizens whom the regime claims can participate have had their ballot applications rejected on faulty grounds, and credible reports of electoral fraud are surfacing by the day.

"But the technicalities of the vote are not the most important factor here, Mr. President. What matters most is that the Luziycan regime is challenging Namor's sovereignty in blatant contravention of past agreements. Such moves have sowed doubts about the regime's ability to uphold its other agreements. While Namor continues to hope for a peaceful solution to the ongoing situation, the Luziycan regime cannot breach its own word and expect inaction from the other side. We have a duty to our people to safeguard our interests; otherwise, we would fail ourselves as a nation. This Council also has a responsibility as an upright body of nations to uphold existing international norms and defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.

"Thank you."

[Luziyca]

After having listened to the statement made by the Eibenlander and the Namorese delegates, Taras Pashkov knew that it was time for him to respond.

"Mr. President," Pashkov began, "to address the first claim presented by the Namorese delegate, the October Consensus merely says that Nantai is a Namorese territory under Luziycan administration. Just like how Mirak is a Mirakian territory under Luziycan administration, or Mikrago is an Argilian territory under Luziycan administration, so to, is Nantai. We recognize its Namorese heritage, and the Namorese culture that most Nantainese possess, and we do not deny that it was historically under Namorese rule until 1898."

"To address the second claim presented by the Namorese delegate, Mr. President, both referenda, the one in 2016, and the one that will take place on December 4th, are perfectly legal under the Luziycan constitution. The only reason why an injunction was imposed in 2016 was because the Pivec administration did not want to risk alienating the Shohai administration: however, since then, the situation, both internationally, and domestically, have changed to a degree where it is no longer wise to deny the Nantainese their right to self-determination."

"Regarding the third claim, Mr. President, the first subsection of the fourth section of the Treaty of the Esquarian Community clearly states that 'citizens of Member States are also Esquarian Citizens, and that 'all Esquarian Citizens are equal under Esquarian law and have equal access to its Institutions.' The second subsection says that 'Esquarian Citizens have the right to be represented in Parliament and to petition Parliament.' Because all residents in the Republic of Nantai are Luziycan citizens, and thus, they are Esquarian citizens, we believe that they have a right to be represented in the Esquarian Parliament."

"For the fourth claim, Mr. President, we broke that promise because it was no longer wise to deny the Nantainese the right to decide their own futures, especially in a deteriorating political climate. With respect to the claim that the referendum doesn't meet international standards, it is a terminological inexactitude: we are not forcing all Nantainese adults to vote in the referendum: if they don't want to participate in it, then they don't have to. Many applications from Namor were rejected because they did not provide sufficient evidence that their ancestors came from Nantai, or the evidence was wholly fraudulent: as of the time I speak, only about 500,000 applicants from Namor have been approved to vote in the referendum."

"Finally, Mr. President, the alleged reports of voter fraud are completely fraudulent: footage of politicians discussing how to rig the referendum have turned out to be doctored, often with Nautasian accents and with words that do not match the movements of the mouths. These allegations have been inspected by the Luziycan Electoral Commission, and by independent agencies, who have determined that all of these allegations are false."

Taras Pashkov had another sip of water, as he prepared to go all in on the final bit of the Namorese delegate's statement.

"Therefore, Mr. President, while both the Christian Republic and the People's Republic agree in principle to the notion that Nantai is a Namorese territory under Luziycan administration, the fact of the matter is that we disagree on the interpretation," Pashkov said. "While the Shohai administration accuses us of breaking our promises, they have violated the basic principles of their own Three Mutuals policy, for they have refused to respect us, which led us to not respect them, they have refused to trust us, which led us to no longer trust them, and they have taken and taken from us, while giving us nothing in return."

"Thus, just like how Namor has a duty to safeguard its own interests, we have a duty to safeguard our own interests, because if we do not safeguard our interests, we will be replaced by someone else who can do so, and who will be less willing to negotiate with the Shohai administration than we are," Pashkov said. "Therefore, Mr. President, the Council of Esquarium has an obligation to protect the Nantainese people, condemn the recent actions, and ensure that war does not break out."

"Thank you," he said.

[Aucuria]

"With all due respect to the honorable Namorese delegate, Mr. President, this fluffy talk of 'territorial integrity' and 'international norms' masks the fact that Namor is evidently preparing to launch a war of aggression against an EC member state because this EC member state is allowing the inhabitants of Nantai to exercise their undeniable, inherent, and inviolable right to self-determination," the Aucurian delegate declared.

"The Namorese delegate mentions sovereignty, so let this be put down on the record: it is the sovereign right of the Nantainese people to democratically determine their future and their fate. To deny them their right to self-determination is to commit an egregious violation of their democratic rights as a people. No government on the face of the planet- not the Namorese regime, not the Luziycan government, nor any other administration that exists or has ever existed upon Esquarium- has the right to deny them that. If the Nantainese want to hold a referendum on whether or not they feel Luziyca or Namor is better capable of protecting their interests, they are well within their rights to do so- indeed, they are exercising the democratic rights that the Esquarian Community cherishes. And when the Namorese viciously denounce this referendum, it is those rights- to sovereignty, to democracy, to self-determination- that they are denouncing."

"He also mentions that he wants us to derive our agreement from solid facts, rather than from a biased or inaccurate recounting of events. On this point, I can agree with him, and as a result I am only too happy to point out the blatant misstatements in his recounting of events."

"Firstly, Mr. President, the Namorese delegate claims that the Luziycan federal government organized both the 2016 Nantai referendum and the 2018 Nantai referendum, in the name of garnering public support. On both of those counts, he is either woefully ignorant of the Luziycan federal system, or intentionally lying. Both the 2016 and 2018 referendums have been declared and organized by the local government of the Republic of Nantai, the fairly and freely elected government that currently administers the region of Nantai, not by the federal government of the Christian Republic of Luziyca. That is to say, these referendums are actions being undertaken by the democratically elected government of Nantai, and not the result of sinister scheming in Bethlehem as the Namorese delegate would have us believe."

"This is important because it is very apparent that Namor's goal is to vilify the Luziycans on this issue, and place the blame upon them- as though President Agapov has somehow magically forced Antelope Shohai to send thousands of troops to his country's borders. We have seen this technique from Namor previously- when Namor shuttered bodies aimed at upholding detente, when Namor held major military exercises near the Luziycan border, when Namor ended its no-first-use policy for nuclear weapons, when Namor expanded the President-General's ability to wage offensive war. Whenever Namor undertakes aggressive actions against Luziyca, we are somehow expected to blame the Luziycans, facts or reason be damned."

"Secondly, there is the Namorese delegate's patently absurd claims that the referendum is not a free and fair vote, and that the Luziycan regime is engaged in massive voter fraud. Once again, we are expected to ignore the difference between the Luziycan federal government and the Nantainese local government, and to believe in some sinister Luziycan cabal responsible for all the world's ills, even though such a cabal does not exist."

"But there is one other thing to note regarding these claims. When the honorable Namorese delegate claims 'credible reports of voter fraud', we must remember that those claims were developed by IFDS propaganda ministries in Estanban and Rongzhuo. There is no evidence of irregularities or voter suppression or voter fraud on the ground, in Nantai itself- all the claims to that effect are coming from the capitals of the IFDS, spewed out of propaganda outlets to muddy the waters and confuse the unwitting. For all the talk of 'credibility', no proof whatsoever has emerged to back up these bold and absurd claims. For example, the UNIR's chief intelligence agency- the same one that, not long ago, was threatening to sentence EC citizens to death on trumped-up espionage charges- claims to have vast amounts of evidence that Luziyca is rigging the Nantai vote. But it has released nothing- no documents, no audio, no video, nothing whatsoever- as proof that such things are actually occuring. To believe that there are 'credible reports of voter fraud' is to take the unsubstantiated ravings of IFDS state propaganda outlets at face value."

"To summarize, Mr. President: the Namorese delegate is either lying or unaware of the Luziycan federal system when he claims that this is the result of some shadowy attempt by the Luziycan government to shore up support. His claims of 'voter fraud' are without evidence and derived from the angry shouting of IFDS propaganda ministries and secret policemen. If we are to speak free of lies and half-truths, as he proposes, then these facts must be called out."

"Finally, I also want to address the honorable Namorese delegate's final claims, regarding the duties of the Namorese government. The Namorese delegate speaks truthfully when he says that it is the duty of the Namorese government to uphold the national interest. But-" he paused for emphasis- "the primary, and most imperative, duty of any government is to protect the life and liberty of its citizens. This is its paramount duty, superior to all others. It is this belief upon which all democratic and republican governments, without exception are ostensibly based."

"As has been noted already by other delegates, the Namorese government claims that the Nantainese people are its citizens. If the Namorese government is one which lives and practices its values, then surely it would uphold its duty to protect the lives and liberty of the Nantainese people. Has it done so by trying to deny them their sovereign democratic right to self determination- both by denying them seats in the EC Parliament and by trying to deny them a referendum on their future? Has it done so by blockading them by air and sea? Has it done so by surrounding Nantai with troops, as though actively preparing to wage war against them?"

"I certainly cannot think that these aggressive, suppressive actions represent the respect for the Nantainese people that the Namorese government ought to have. By allowing the Nantainese their referendum, though, the Luziycans have shown a respect for their rights and liberties- a respect too often lacking in the behavior of governments."

"You may make of that what you will. Thank you."

[Ordennya]

The Ordennyan delegate removed her earpiece and got to her feet to speak.
"Mr. President, the events unfolding between Namor and Luzicya are...fragile, to say the least. We have statements from both sides condemning actions taken by the other. Both make reasoned arguments as to why they should hold jurisdiction over the Nantai region, but that's not to say that either country should be in the right; as neither of them have, it would seem, taken reasonable steps to settle this matter between them, instead asking the Esquarian Community to step in."
She took a sip of her water before she continued speaking.
"Mr President, the Ordennyan government supports the Luzicyan government's move to allow the Nantainese people to hold their referendum, but we also understand the Namorese government's concern over voter fraud and intimidation. A compromise, we feel, would be to allow EC sanctioned observers to inspect the conduct of the referendum, and take action over any perceived irregularities, to ensure the conduct of a free and fair vote. We are perceptive to Aucuria's scepticism of Namor's concerns, and we feel that if Luzicya truly does have nothing to hide in this area, then they should welcome the possibility of observers with open arms.
"At the same time, Mr President, we thoroughly condemn Namor's military build up on the Nantainese border. It is deeply unhelpful to an already incredibly delicate situation, and military build up of any sort presents an incredibly high risk of destabilisation to the Borean region. As a way out of this very delicate situation, the Ordennyan federal government would like to offer itself up as an independent arbitrator for negotiations between the two countries, to take place on Ordennyan soil."
The delegate concluded her speech and sat back down.

[Aucuria]

"Mr. President, while Aucuria is planning to send its own election observers to monitor the referendum in Nantai, as are several non-governmental human rights watchdogs based in Aucuria, I would nonetheless like to note our support for the Ordennyan delegate's proposal that the EC send observers to monitor the Nantai referendum. The more observers are present to monitor the referendum, the better- particularly when such a great effort is being made to muddy the waters by the EC's enemies."

"Thank you."

[Luziyca]

After having listened to the Aucurian delegate further defend Luziyca's actions, and listening to the speech by the Ordennyan delegate, Taras Pashkov was willing to respond to the statements made by the Ordennyan delegate. After being cut off and forced to listen to the Aucurian delegate agreeing with the suggestion of Ordennya's delegate, he was ready to speak.

"Mr. President," Pashkov began, "when we announced the referendum in Nantai, President Agapov explicitly said that the Christian Republic would 'allow foreign observers from Namor and the Esquarian Community to observe the Nantai referendum to ensure that there are no irregularities during the campaign, the voting, and the ballot-counting.' As far as I know, this has remained the official policy of the governments of Luziyca and of Nantai, and we would be delighted to have Esquarian Community observers to monitor the referendum to ensure that it is conducted in a free and fair manner, should they wish to do so. If they don't want to send observers, that is fine."

"The Christian Republic is more than willing to submit the Nantai question to binding arbitration or mediation, if the Shohai Antelope administration also agrees to the proposal presented by the Ordennyan delegation. While it is ideal if the negotiating table is closer to Namor and Luziyca, if we must head to Ordennya to settle the situation, so be it."