The State Department Building, Larsaka City
President Li to Visit Lykens
By Edward Jerome 9:21PM
Newly appointed Secretary of State Ngai Shan held a press conference today where he announced that President Michael Li, Fresh off his election win and inauguration, would be making an unprecedented trip to Larsaka’s northern neighbor Lykens on July sixth. The historic visit is a symbol of Larsaka’s new willingness to engage with the world, a departure from decades of diplomacy under Liberal governments that saw Larsaka remain uninvolved in world affairs. Lykens and Larsaka have been neighbors for hundreds of years, though recently they have maintained a relatively uninvolved relationship. Until now, the only diplomatic contact the two nations have maintained has been through discussions about border affairs, which stem from the two nations' shared border along the Bei river.
Ngai Shan also detailed the the President’s Itinerary, which had been worked out with Lykenburgish officials and State Counselor Diaz. President Li will fly into Lykens onboard a Larsaka Air L-400, accompanied by the Secretary of State, staffers, and a press pool. Once there, he will embark upon a tour of several rural Lykenburgish Provinces, where he will see several sheep shearing facilities. At the end of his tour, he will sit down with State Counselor Diaz at his ranch to discuss deepening cooperation between the two countries. After the meeting, President Li will return home aboard the same plane he travelled to Lykens with.
Critics immediately panned the visit as a distraction from domestic politics. Liberal Party Leader Owen Insfield described the visit in a press conference as “a serious blunder in the very beginning of his Presidency. While I wish President Li the best, I think he is neglecting serious issues at home in order to forge a relationship that will offer few benefits and inevitably result in more interference in our internal affairs.” While this remains to be seen, President Li’s visit is unprecedented in that is occuring so early in his presidency following so many decades of isolation.
The Secretary of State tried to preempt the criticism when he said “President Li knows the key to supercharging the Larsakan economy is international trade, so he’s not wasting any time getting to work for the Larsakan People” It is true that resource strapped Larsaka is dependent on International Trade, which can be attributed to a large part of Larsaka’s GDP. Many of Larsaka’s primary industries, including maritime and aerospace manufacturing, as well as consumer and telecommunication electronics, rely on materials imported from other nations in Olympus.
In the campaign, President Li advocated for greater international engagement based on the economic benefits and the ability to project Larsaka’s interests around the world. Achieving this will be difficult, but one thing can be said for sure: it won't be for a lack of trying.