2020 Baiqiao Summit (Kylaris, IC)

by **Xiaodong** » Tue Oct 20, 2020 12:42 pm

Attendee List

Agenda
Climate Change and global development
The summit aims to discuss the new and pressing issue of climate change, most concretely on its effect in terms of global development. Climate change presents a unique challenge for global leaders who must combine economic development and industrialisation with a more sustainable approach. The challenge comes both from the fact that developed countries remain the largest polluters but the only ones with the capital to make the green switch - whilst developing countries may soon be the largest polluters. Finding a solution to this conundrum through sustainable development practices, global cooperation on the issue and new technologies is therefore a priority.
Situation in Tsabara
Since last year the situation in Tsabara has hugely deteriorated leading to a situation in which the multi-ethnic, multi-faith state has entered a state of collapse. As a large oil producer and close to both Euclea and Zorasan Tsabara's war risks serious harm on the global economy, especially as foreign powers and the interim Tsabaran government have exacerbated the situation through various means. The summit seeks to discuss the impact of migration on national economies, the national security risks the Tsabaran situation represents, the status of foreign economic assets in the country and the disruption of energy sources in the country amongst others.
Itinerary
The summit will be held in the city of Baiqiao, the second largest city in the Auspicious Republic of Xiaodong and one of its most important economic hubs. It will held in the Li Zhaozheng International Exhibition Centre. Accommodation and security is provided by the Xiaodongese government who has also restricted traffic use in the city to reduce air pollution for the summit. The summit will be held over three days in three sessions.

The summit will begin with State Chairman and host Yuan Xiannian greeting guests before he makes an opening speech to the summit. The leaders will be seated on a round table in alphabetical order based on their countries/organisations English name. The exception is Yuan, who will sit at the head of the table besides Zorasani First Minister Akbari and Ajahadyan President Balchandra.
Seating Plan

OOC rules
Please be civil during the roleplay. Whilst world leaders may use harsh rhetoric at times there is a limit.
If a topic is dragging on too long or being bogged down in specifics it may be moved on to keep with the flow of the summit.
Please post articles on the summit after it has ended.
If you are not an attendee please message me (Xiao) over discord and I'll see what I'll do.

The summit will begin on the 24 October 2020. Please do not post on this thread before that date.

by **Xiaodong** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 9:49 am

The sky above Baiqiao was unusually clear this morning, bereft of the usual heavy cloud of smog that enveloped the city. The bustling home to 13 million was it's usual bustling self with the continual blare of car horns, shouting in the thick Baiqiao dialect and hundreds of steps providing a loud but steady noise to the city. The combination of architecture - from pleasant traditional Coian sloped roofs, to eye-catching art deco arcades, to imposing brutalist flats and glittering glass skyscrapers - gave the city an unusual but unmistakable atmosphere. At its heart sat the Li Zhaozheng Convention Centre, a squat glass building only notable from the outside from the rather ostentatious floral arrangements that had been prepared this day. Unassuming though it was, it was to be here that the world's most powerful leaders - both of states and of individual countries - would be meeting today.

In a small antechamber sat a small assembly of men and a single women who despite their plain matching black suits where Xiaodong's most powerful politicians. Premier Xi Yaotong, who looked more like an academic then a politician, adjusted his glasses nervously next to the stone-faced international relations minister Xu Bangguo. The thick-set Examination Council president Jin Baoshun sat between the dour Finance Minister Mao Lejiang and the serene, youth vice-premier Yuan Qinqin, the only women in the group. At the head sat the most powerful of all of them - Yuan Xiannian, who was dressed in a dark blue suit, animated in conversation.

The conversation came to lull as an aide walked in to speak into Yuan's ear.

"The delegates are arriving now sir, Security need you to move downstairs".

Yuan nodded curtly, before raising. The rest followed him as he briskly walked through the centre, flanked by a small army of bodyguards. Turning to the vice-premier - incidentally, also his daughter - Yuan grimaced.

"Arranging these summits is always a chore. Particularly given some of the attendees coming".

Qinqin nodded. She could tell her father was referring to Reginald Wilton-Symth, the silver haired and snobbish Estmerish prime minister as well as Francesco Carcaterra, the greasy Etrurian president.

"We will show them the superiority of a Xiaodongese-based approach to global order. Afterall, they must already understand that here their relevance is shrinking."

Yuan smiled. In the arrangements prior to the summit Yuan had been sure to instruct that Wilton-Symth, Carcaterra and Senrian Prime Minister Okura Reika had been sent to smaller, less comfortable lodgings alongside limiting the facilities for their entourages. Their late arrivals to the venue would not be a surprise either.

The room that the conference will actually take place was large, with a round table. Placards with leaders' names and countries had been neatly arranged whilst headphones for translating purposes and small cups and pots of tea sat next to them. The wall opposite the doorway was adorned with a huge, traditional painting of a Xiaodongese landscape. Chairs for aides lined the walls.

The room adjacent where Yuan was set to meet the delegates was similarly grand. Each attending country's flag was arranged at the backwall whilst two enormous portraits of Lu Keqian and Yuan himself adorned the wall itself, Lu's steely gaze contrasting with Yuan's relaxed smile. Photographers stood ready to capture Yuan - gleefully or not - shaking hands with the attending delegates.

Yuan straightened his tie as the first delegate - the wiry Satucine Premier Martin Allaire - entered, showing a toothy grin. Yuan nodded greeting him in stilted Gaullican as the pair shook hands before showing him into the meeting room. The next hour was replete with the same exchanges as Yuan greeted the leaders. Some he warmly greeted, such as the prickly Salil Balchandra, always-agreeable Viktor Martynenko and of course the jovial Farzad Akbari. Others he received more coolly such as the baby-faced Monique Degar-Abdulrashid, humourless Niina Hermansdohter and preening Karl Nilsson Jung. Yuan took special enjoyment when he saw the stone-cold expression on COMSED director Hwa Hye-Su's face as he tightly gripped her hand.

As the delegates settled themselves in their seats, Yuan leaned into the microphone to give his opening address.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honour to greet you to the 2020 Intergovernmental Economic Forum Summit, the 16th we have had and the second to be held in our wonderful country.

2020 has proven to be a challenging year, for the global economy and governance. There is slowing growth, Rising global temperatures. Continuing instability in the Asterian and Aurean straits. Yet we are also fortunate that the past year has seen more people being lifted out of poverty, the continued pace of technological innovation and great strides in international development. These are all achievements we as a global community can be proud of achieving.

We in Xiaodong are at the forefront of these developments. This year we have seen 3 million people lifted out of poverty, and we aim to continue to meet such targets in the future. But to do that we need to continue to ensure the economic and political situation abroad needs to remain stable. For that reason, today we will be discussing the two great challenges of this day,

One is climate change. Whilst some here dispute that it is happening, it is. Whether this is down primarily to human activity or if it is natural is still up for debate. But no matter what causes it, it is something that is happening and something we will need to deal with for future generations. Assuring a sustainable path to development and economic growth will therefore be key in managing the potential natural disasters that could come from this.

But we cannot be too hasty in this. It has been the opinion of some that the costs of sustainability should be shouldered by those who are developing, who have not yet reached peak industrialisation and that sustainability means effectively cancelling. This simplistic view is one we reject, particularly if it comes from those who have already reaped the benefits of industrialisation. What we must therefore endeavour is for those that are currently polluting to reduce such actions so to allow the space for those behind to secure a path to wealth.

Another is Tsabara. The nation has for a year been plunged into chaos, leading to a catastrophic loss of life and a large outflow of refugees. One only has to look at the size of Tsabara - 60 million people - and its ethnic and religious diversity to assume that if Tsabara is not handled properly it can further lead to a humanitarian crisis of huge proportions not seen since the Siamati war in the 1970's.

We must look therefore to what is causing this crisis - an incompetent government in Audnis lead be an illegitimate dictator; a failure secure political unity; and a self-inflicted economic collapse. How we solve this crisis - and deal with its after-effects, particularly the huge damage to the oil industry and the effect of the migration of possibly millions of people - will be crucial for peace in Euclea and Coius.

With that in mind, I officially open the 2020 Baiqiao Summit and invite the delegates to make any initial speeches before the first discussion.

by **Eskaeba** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 1:08 pm

Biaqiao, Xiaodong

Goga entered the ornate and impressive Li Zhaozheng Convention Centre with a brisk walk and a steely look on her face. Foreign visits had been her job for the last five years, and she was prepared for what the summit, and coincidentally her first overseas visit as President, could throw at her.

She was escorted into the building by a small team of Xiaodongese security officers into the conference room, where a large round table lay with thirty-or-so flags laid out with to-the-teeth precision. She was greeted and welcomed by Yuan Xiannian as she entered the hall.

"Figueroa? Rozak? Could be worse, I suppose."

She ushered to the security to leave her be as she settled down in her seat and gathered out her papers and pointers, placing her large leather bag down next to her as she sat. She knew roughly what she wanted to push forward and achieve from this summit: promotion of industrialisation for Narozalica's developing allies, and a shift in influence in Tsabara away from Euclea.

Goga grinned and nodded at Adrian Rozak, the enthusiastic Minister-President of West Miersa, Narozalica's closest ally, who shook her hand gleefully in return. Goga turned and extended her welcome to Nuxican President Zacarías Figueroa, a country that Narozalica had gotten into a minor diplomatic spout over the issue of displaced Zalyks on the Nuxican-Chistovodian border.

Both turned as Yuan began to speak. He outlined the meeting's agenda and some general goals that the countries and organisations attending may look to achieve. As Yuan sat, she and her contemporaries applauded at his speech.

She was eager to make her mark on the meeting early, and, as an experienced foreign diplomat, came prepared with a short opening speech that she looked to deliver early on. So as soon as the applause concluded, Goga stood at shuffled her notes on the table and began to speak.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentleman and colleagues, it is a pleasure for me to address you today in this fine hall.

Firstly I would like to extend my gratitude to Chairman Yuan for hosting this landmark event in one of the most turbulent economic years in memory. It is a pleasure that so many world representatives can meet here to discuss the imposing economic problems we face in today's world. Worldwide recognition of B-15 outlets in tackling these problems is what I believe to be the crucial first step to real, lasting fiscal change.

One issue I want to bring forward at this summit in particular in the global situation of economic development. It is pivotal to recognise the link between global economic development and the eventual eradication of poverty worldwide. There cannot be one without the other. I believe a direct way of tackling this problem at its core is introducing efficient, affordable and reliant energy sources to developing economies. We have taken strides to this with our pipeline developments across Euclea, as well as our oil exports elsewhere, but I believe it should be fundamental for developed countries to be actively seeking to promote efficient energy sources abroad.

But we must also recognise the effects of climate change on this. In an ideal world, we could all simply say "we are going to reduce our carbon emissions, now", but here, this is simply not the case. As I mentioned earlier, the unmistakable key to eradicating global poverty is the promotion of global economic development. I am open to discuss solutions to the problem of climate change, while still ensuring positive global development, on the floor this afternoon.

Gladly, I can share the same pride as Chairman Yuan in reporting on Narozalica's efforts in reducing poverty domestically, with around 450,000 people being lifted out of poverty in the last year, and echo his following remarks in that we will continue to provide hope and stability for all of our citizens by maintaining social and economic order across the world. I know there are some sitting here at this table that share strong opinions about the situation in Tsabara, so with this I am hopeful that we can reach a suitable conclusion on what the B-15's next steps can be in solving the humanitarian crisis in the Aurean.

I am also encouraging the promotion of other problems that I am sure some of you sitting here may have, in the hopes that we can reach sustainable conclusions that go above and beyond the set agenda for tonight's conference.

That is all I propose for now. Thank you for your attention."

by **Inhorto** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 1:44 pm

A lone duo of two cars revved to life on the tarmac of Baiquo's international airport. The first car, a slick black Cadillac outfit, carried Raul Fonseca, chief director of the Global Institute for Fiscal Affairs. Riding with the chief director was his chief of staff, Maria, as well as GIFA's chief economist and Fonseca's foremost advisor, Ilyana Lyubimova of Narozalica. The following car, a black Lincoln Navigator, held a quartet of aides. Unlike the flashy motorcades that would carry other summiteers to the convention center, Fonseca's party was small and reserved. Small and reserved. That would be Fonseca's role at this convention, at least he assumed.

As the cars passed through downtown Baiquo, Fonseca flipped through briefings and rifled in his suitcase for his introductory speech. After a minute or so he found the paper and pulled it out. Fonseca had written the speech on crumpled lined paper, too forgetful to have his aides type it up for him. His eyes roved his clumsy handwriting, skipping over misspelled words and phonetic realizations of foreign leaders' names in his native Auratian.

"Do you feel prepared, Mr. Fonseca?" Lyubimova asked.

The chief director returned a grunt in her direction. "I suppose so. But you never know with these things."

"In which case," Lyubimova began, "You ought to review the data more thoroughly."

Her voice was commanding, her countenance stern. She reached into the flab of her briefcase and pulled out a slab of papers.

"These are the facts and figures and whatnot. GDP data. Information on each individual economy. Data points to bring up. The works." She hustled the papers in Fonseca's lap. He read obligingly.

The cars rounded a few corners and landed on the approach to the convention center. Peering out of his window Fonseca observed Xiaodongese aides skittling about. A gaggle of journalists and photographers gathered in the designated press pool. The cars eased to a crawl and then stopped completely. Armed security leaped out of the front seat, approached Fonseca's door and motioned him out.

Fonseca and Lyubimova shook a few hands until they were led to Xiaodongese State Chairman Yuan Xiannian. A square-faced man with lanky legs, Yuan was alien to Fonseca, who had only seen the state chairman on the TV and briefly corresponded with him on the phone. The pair shook hands and traded small talk. After their brief introduction, Fonseca headed towards the conference room and plopped himself in his designated seat. To his right he found Carceterra, the right-wing populist leader of Etruria. Shame, Fonseca thought, as he had formed a negative opinion of the Etrurian following his country's break with the Euclean Community.

Fonseca felt out of place. The former president of Auratia, a purely symbolic office, GIFA's chief representative had scantly been to important foreign conventions. During his presidency he was represented by his premiers: the damnable Walter García and Auratia's current top boss Germán del Caserío. Fonseca was no statesman. He was an economist at heart. A once central bank advisor. Perhaps not a giant like Wilton-Smyth or Walker, but a fresh perspective nonetheless.

Fonseca listened intently to the Xiaodongese leader's words, for which he took notes. After a few more leaders had spoken and a lull of silence pervaded the room, he turned his mic on and began his introductory statement.

"Esteemed leaders of Euclea, Coius, and the Asterias:

"I would first like to extend my thanks to the His Excellency the State Chairman for hosting this conference today. The work, sweat and pain which you have given towards organizing this conference of leaders strengthen ties between nations in a time when it is all too easy to submit to hostility. I hope that our discussions today may be fruitful, and that the work we accomplish may truly go to benefit everyday people throughout the globe. Ours is a daunting task, but I am confident that we have set our hands to it in the spirit of optimism and with the understanding of success.

It is my honor to represent the Global Institute for Fiscal Affairs. Our purpose is simple: to promote economic growth and to ensure financial stability in the markets, to aid countries facing economic turmoil and to lift the specter of poverty that haunts the lives of so many poor men and women. To this end GIFA conducts fact-determined policy, providing loans to countries facing balance of payments or sovereign debt crises. Multilateral borrowing conducted by GIFA has exceeded two trillion euclos in capital, and we do not expect to slow operations. Our lending capacity is strong and our work yet unfinished. We accrue funding from our dedicated members, who pay in a certain quota. In addition to our traditional role as a lender in lean years, this institution surveils key economic metrics in our member country and analyzes data for the public good.

One key principle underpins what we do: responsibility. Fiscal responsibility is perhaps the single best determinant of successful fiscal and monetary policy. Acuity towards the needs of a nation's economy and an understanding of the basic principles the buttress the global financial system are absolutely necessary. In a time when the bands between nations are tightening, when peoples once wholly separate and coming together like never before, it becomes our duty as leaders to keep the channels of commerce open and free.

The progress we have seen over these many decades encourages us. Incomes in developed nations have risen spectacularly. Ready access to technology had improved the global standard of living immensely. Life expectancy has never been higher. What is more encouraging is the rate at which the less developed nations of the world are fulfilling the same destiny as their wealthier counterparts. Poorer and middle-income countries saw economic growth at six percent per annum from 2010-2016. All these factors considered, however, there is still worry.

The growth in less developed nations has slowed to 4.5 percent as 2016-2019. Our traditional expectations for emerging markets, expectations that hold that these markets should be hotbeds for rapid economic growth, have not been adequately met. The desired convergence of personal and household incomes of developed and developing countries is simply not being met at such a rate as would traditional be desirable. We are alarmed that developing nations are not catching up to their wealthier counterparts as fast as we would normally expect. Indeed, this slower rate of growth has consequences that reverberate across the globe and particularly in Coius. Slower growth means fewer people are pulled from poverty, with disastrous consequences for those individuals' health.

To summarize, we are seeing growth across the world, but we are seeing it spread unevenly. We are not seeing enough economic growth in the nations that need it the most.

We may cite many reasons for this slow-down. Some economic. Others socio-political. For one, the growing pervasiveness of automation is replacing the need for cheap sources of labor, which developing countries tend to rely on the most. We may likewise cite growing trade protectionism, which denies individuals and firms in disadvantaged nations access to cheaper, foreign-made goods. In turn, the price deflation of commodity goods, a traditional source of output for developed and developing nations alike, stunts growth.We cite many nations' continued dependence on natural resources as another factor that has contributed to sluggish growth. Asymmetric access to technology, the drying up of foreign investment, uneasy access to lines of credit, are persistent economic problems that plague developing nations.

There is perhaps one element that threatens economic prosperity the most: war. Internal strife means capital investment is minimal and economic activity sparse. As we have seen in Tsabara, as we have seen throughout history, the preponderance of war benefits no one. It disadvantageous the poorest and neediest communities the most. The migration of foreign peoples in Euclea and other parts of Badawiyya disrupts traditional economic activity. These factors are financial accelerators, liable to sow untold economic harm in the right conditions. Therefore, we are calling on the leaders of the world here assembled to find a peaceful solution to this ongoing crisis.

In respect to climate change, we encourage nations developed and developing to invest in green energy while weighing the importance of their traditional oil, coal and natural gas sectors. GIFA would be amenable to the establishment of an international green energy fund, whose principals would be laid down at this conference. We must at any rate balance the need for urgent action to protect our environment and our responsibilities to ensure low unemployment and fiscal and monetary stability. Measures to protect the environment may take a short-term toll on economic activity but is likewise an important investment in long-term human health and economic prosperity.

All told, GIFA predicts that economic growth for developing nations will hover around five percent, while it may increase slightly to six percent for the developing world. There is no one antidote for this problem. Our advice to central banks would be to keep interest rates low, to provide firms and investors with easy access to credit. To governments, as a traditional guideline, we call on nations to remove trade barriers, incentivize foreign investment, invest in infrastructure and education, and ensure fiscal responsibility.

We are tacitly optimistic about our economic forecast for the future, but we still recognize that much work needs to be done. I would love to address any questions you may have. Thank you."

by **Liecthenbourg** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 3:30 pm

Monique Degar-Abdulrashid
President of Gaullica

Monique smiled broadly as she arrived at the Li Zhaozheng Convention Centre. She had been on few diplomatic excursions before and those that she had undertaken were mainly to Kesselbourg as a Health Minister. The rest had come during her tenures as Premier; but more often than not foreign relations were dealt by Vallette. With one hand raised to the array of journalists and cameramen that flanked the entry to the centre, she shut the door to the car that had been provided for her.

She was escorted into the very same centre by security detail that the Xiaodongese had meticulously allocated, vetted and trained in diplomatic protocol for this event. Monique knew she was the 'new blood' of the assembled leaders. The titan that Vallette was gone; his commandeering presence, masculinity and age, so strongly traditional diplomatic traits, were no longer assets that the office of the Presidency held.

Several figures were ahead of her; like the Chistovodian President and the President of Zorasan. Behind her and subject to a few pleasantries on the outside were individuals like Niina Hermansdohter. She spotted figures familiar to her: the Estmerish Premier, Reginald Wilton-Smyth, and the Weranic Chancellor von Hosslin. They too exchanged pleasantries and firm handshakes before the Summit was to begin.

A strong and brisk gait towards the diplomatic round table led her to see those she was sat next to. To her right was the President of Garambura Sylvain Sikali. The two were well acquainted given the strong relations between Gaullica and Garambura: indeed, their relationship was special. Of all of the former colonies of Gaullica in Bahia it was Garambura that took much of Gaullica's efforts. Monique smiled as she shook the hand of Sikali.

"Its good to see you, President Sikali" she said genuinely and honestly.

It is reassuring to have friends sat so close, the President mused. Sylvain is incredibly pleasant company. And it pays to have those who wish to be nice to you, especially in a place as intimidating as this. And at least I am not sat next to Carcaterra or Akbari. The former... Her trail of thought ended as the man to her left sat down.

To her left was Geatish Premier Karl Nilsson Jung. They were not as familiar as she had hoped, but discussed with him his thoughts pertaining to the summit before Yuan began his dialogue.

The trio of individuals turned to face Yuan as the Xiadongese Presidium's Chair. His comments were questionable, but the agenda was clearly set. The global world was to be defined by two scenarios: climate change and the 'Tsabaran Crisis'. Both issues were incredibly pressing; but Monique felt a closeness to the second issue that she wagered none in the room could replicate. She was a Tsabaran-Gaullican. She had cousins who still lived in the countries; uncles and aunts too.

Climate deniers in the second decade of the second millennia... we do indeed live in strange times. An unpleasant thought crossed her mind. Her Euclean counterparts in Estmere and Werania were far more sceptical than she: questioning the impact of man's hand in climate change or blaming the global south.

Next came Goga. The Narozalican was a more familiar character to her than Yuan. Much of what she said was in direct response to Yuan, but she added the further comments of the situation in the Aurean. Indeed, the eruption of the volcano in Maracao had essentially placed a large wall in the way of the island's efforts to continue any attempt at prosperity.

She smiled as the Narozalican sat and the Auratian leader of the GIFA stood up. He came across as an analytic, passionate about what he spoke of. But how much one could make numbers and economics interesting was a hard task. The man was an essential enigma: even as President of Auratia he was, for better or worse, scarcely seen. His responsibilities of foreign affairs were dealt by his premiers.

And when he was done, the young President took it upon herself to stand up and signalled her intentions to speak. She brought both of her hands from their position over her lap to a more comfortable position. She tucked some loose strands of hair back into place. This is nothing like public speaking at home, or at the Senate... I feel the weight of the planet on me as I speak. But she steeled herself, strongly. She was an experienced speaker, after all, and all that changed really was the venue. Her voice was clear and accented in the typical Verlois' Gaullican. Her pronunciation was refined and pleasant to individuals well versed in the language; if a touch elitist and... the word that came to her mind, in self-judgement, was archaic.

"Good afternoon to all," she began with her signature smile. "It is a pleasure to be here, ladies and gentlemen, and I look forward to a productive summit with all of you.

I would like to begin by thanking not only Chairman Yuan for the hosting of the 16th Intergovernmental Economic Forum Summit, but President Goga and the respected Director of GIFA, Mr. Fonseca. Their opening of the floor and continued setting of the attitude of the event shows that all of us here are serious in our intentions. Our world is, fundamentally, changing. Our world is far different to how it was twenty, thirty, years ago.

Our climate is changing at an unprecedented rate. There is debate, debate alluded to already, as to the where the responsibility falls in relation to this changing of climate. Yet whilst this 'debate' continues our populations experience drought, our people experience record-breaking temperatures each summer, and our sea-levels continue to rise. Climate change accelerates and extends conflicts; desertification causes resources to become scarce, and vital resources for life, like water, become politicised and weaponised in regional disputes and spats.

The second issue we are here to discuss is that of Tsabara. I hold what we have labelled the 'Tsabaran Crisis' as an issue close to my heart. As the President of Gaullica, my responsibilities are wide-reaching. But as Mademoiselle Degar-Abdulrashid, I think of how my family left the nation all those years ago. I think of the people who are aiming on conducting journeys to a better life. They do this because they are scared, threatened, and the means to better their own lives in their nation are not present. As Director Fonseca stated so clearly: growth is uneven, and favouring certain nations over others. Whilst some nations are aiming to slay the beast of absolute poverty, others, the privileged, are experimenting with means to grant their populations dividends of money to ensure consistent and reliable sources of income. The parallel roads with which nations of the world traverse is concerning.

Sections of the constitution of my nation rest on military action dependent on multilateral action. The framers of our constitution were the same minds behind such projects as the Community of Nations and the Community. Tsabara cannot be handled by single state actors, but by all of us defending the Adunis' government and its upcoming election. Even now, it is the joint efforts of several Euclean navies in preventing Tsabarans from undertaking the perilous journey across the most travelled water way in the world. The global community is required to ensure that no foreign influences corrupt and delegitimise the Tsabaran country; or to support the attempts to fracture the nation in twain for political gain. But I must respectfully disagree with the words of Director Fonseca. Unfortunately, a small cabal individuals do benefit from war, and there are serious questions to be raised as to the influences behind the proverbial curtain in the Tsabaran crisis."

She paused for but a moment and scanned the room in a single turn of the head. She locked eyes with Goga and extended a hand towards her.

"As President Goga so correctly pointed out; there are desperate concerns in either straits across the world. So far, Maracao's volcanic eruption sent the Arucian into total chaos. Aerial travel and nautical travel were disturbed for quite some time; countless Maracan people have been left homeless, jobless, without families. So far, Arucian countries have come together in solidarity: and even Chistovodia and Gaullica, and the Community at large, have set aside their differences to provide joint assistance to the country. But continued assistance is necessary.

I think it is a good time to pivot to the words of Director Fonseca again. The proposal to have GIFA an 'international green energy fund' is one that we must discuss in-depth in the upcoming three days. With what we now know, the science tells us industrialisation on the scale it was done by the 'developed world' is not feasible for the sustainability of our planet. Some people in this room may believe that I am speaking from a position of privilege in this regard. But the imbalance between the developed and the developing must be rectified; and the developed supporting the developing by way of assisting in their economic and energy infrastructure via green energy initiatives, is frankly, a suggestion that empowers the developing countries. By laying their infrastructure by way of the latest green technology, they will never need to undergo a position of 'transition.'

Already, and I say with pride, that Gaullica contributes significant elements of its developmental budget in aiming to correct the mistakes of the past. The nations affected by the imperialism of the past, of which we can never ever amend, are those we strive in assisting in developing along lines that are sustainable and respective of their environments.

Thank you for your time and I look forward for the undoubtable productive sessions we will be having."

The President returned to her seat, aligned the papers on her desk that contained her notes of the previous speeches and muted her microphone. She wondered who would speak next, but all the while thought intently to herself. I'm no Vallette, no. But I never intended on being.

by **Etruria2** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 4:27 pm

Francesco Aurelio Carcaterra
President of the United Etrurian Federation

President Francesco Carcaterra sat in his allocated diplomatic vehicle having left a separate hotel to the majority of the other world leaders, and a hotel to his disliking it certainly was. The decades-long serving experts at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had warned him that the Xiaodongese were known to use the hosting of events to send messages to world leaders that did not meet their approval, Carcaterra dismissed such a possibility as “unbefitting diplomacy of the 21st century.” How accurate those civil servants were, the lodgings afforded to the Etrurian leader, his counterparts from Estmere and Senria were not exactly hostel like, but certainly fell far below the standard of the primary hosting establishment. Having wished to share pictures of the “hovel” on social media for his supporters back home, he was persuaded otherwise by his retinue of aides, some of whom were drawn from the very same cohort of life-long serving bureaucrats back him he had originally dismissed.

Carcaterra had a particular taste, for him, all hotels and such for international summits had to be compared on an Etrurian basis, does the hotel match the exclusive former monasteries turned into hotel villages? Does it match the former Palazzi of Povelia or Tyrrenhus? Is there a degree of luxury to which world leaders deserve for they collectively forge the destinies and futures of humanity? Whatever former “slaughterhouse” the Xiaodongese had put him up in certainly fell below those standards.

The drive from Casa Prison to the Li Zhaozheng Convention Centre was short, Carcaterra observed the passing city of Baiqiao, barely registering the breakdown from his chief foreign policy aide. The President, the far-right populist assumed it was a listing of dos and don’ts, though frankly, having been assigned to sleep in a bedsit, he had every intention of doing and saying whatever he wanted, after all, he was the leader and representative of a renewed Etruria, one sure of its place and sense of worth in the world. As his aide continued to prattle on, Carcaterra lifted his hand.

“You know, I look out of this window at this city and you truly come to realise that this entire metropolis was built off the backs of Euclean workers. The steel they use to build those monstrosities into the sky, that’s steel that’s killed entire regions of Euclea. So-called neoliberal ideals built this. Millions of Euclean jobs sacrificed in the name of interconnectivity and globalisation. It’s a sick reminder this city, how many Etrurians wallow, struggling to make ends meet so some former ricer farmer can now make shoes, whilst living 30 storeys up in the air?”

“Do you think Mr. President this is why they provided less than satisfactory lodgings?” His foreign policy aide asked, with a degree of sarcasm.

“No, we, the Senrians and Estmerish are in that flea infested hell because we see through the fog, we see the truth and speak to it. We know Xiaodong’s game and we are not playing along, hence why we’re spending time with travelling salesmen from some Coian backwater region where they sleep on the floor with their water buffalo” Carcaterra spat, still infuriated by the insult of his lodgings. While most of the male aides laughed, the lone female aide, the one who would provide the low-down on the individual leaders and their likely interests winced.

“At least they’ve cleared the skies for us, sparing us of lung cancer is most generous of them” Carcaterra sighed, his eyes surveying the cloudless sky.

“At least the food here is good” the young woman spoke up, receiving a glare of doom from her President.

“Food? It is not food they have here, its primordial horrors. I am fully expecting fried bat soup and skewered pangolin for dinner. These people have no concept of cuisine and you know what they call pasta? Etrurian noodles. The hubris, perhaps we will have liquidised dog eyes and lemon sorbet for dessert. No chance of a request, would swap the medieval peasant concoction for what? Alessandro?” Carcaterra turned to his chief aide-de-camp, with a smile.

“Hmm, I would say signore, Tagliatelle of squid with squid ink” Alessandro Del Priore, receiving a grin from the Etrurian president.

“Delicious” the President hummed, “real food that, no ant eaters to be found. God to be spared this miserable travesty of international diplomacy…” the President sighed.
As the car turned toward the entry to the atrium of the centre, Carcaterra coughed, clearing his throat.

“Well friends, to quote Contarino, into the gaping maw of the beast we venture forth. Have faith and certainty in yourself and yours and truly you shall prevail against the horrors that lurk within. The quicker we escape this monument to Euclea’s death the better. God watch over us” the President said jokily. Leaving the car, he unbuttoned his black suit jacket and progressed into the centre, led by the Xiaodongese security team.

Leading up to Yuan himself, the coldness was notable. The handshake was limp from both sides, the small talk barely registered as such. Inside the Etrurian President was a loathing, not just for the so-called hotel he and two other respected world leaders were sentenced to, but a loath for ideology and culture. Here, before Carcaterra was a man who played global titan, a man who saw his nation as superior to Euclean civilisation in every sense of the world, forget the Zorasani First Minister, here was the true shadow lurking over Euclea and its future. Having exchanged the basics of human interaction, Carcaterra went on to take his seat.

Carcaterra noted his neighbour, Raul Fonseca, the Global Institute for Fiscal Affairs. The “Emperor of Globalism” as Vice President Vittoria Vasari calls him. Turning to Estmere’s Reginald Wilton-Smyth, he smiled and patted the man’s back.

“This is not even the hardest part of the summit, surviving the night at that slaughterhouse will be” Carcaterra laughed, his Estmerish slow and hoarse.

“Good day Signor” Carcaterra smiled, shaking his neighbour’s hand. Sitting down, Carcaterra placed the translation headset on, readied his notes and prepared for the event.

He listened as the Xiaodongese leader gave the opening statement of the summit, the issues were indeed pressing, though surely to varying degrees to each leader listening. Ironically, Carcaterra shared the scepticism of Yuan toward climate change, though on Tsabara the commonality ends with a thud.

Next came Narozalica’s Goga, a woman, Carcaterra had come to respect and admire. In her was a unique opportunity for Etruria and Narozalica to overcome decades of cold if not outright mistrust, the recent pipeline arrangement warming the ties to a unprecedented degree, on both issues, Narozalica and Etruria would likely align.

Fonseca, Carcaterra’s neighbour unleashed the much expected stale globalist drivel that had condemned millions of Eucleans to barely surviving financially, here spoke a man, to Carcaterra and his party and government, who represented everything wrong with the Northern-led order, a system that was self-defeating and unleashing the rise of the likes of Xiaodong and Zorasan. He had little time for the idea of Etrurian money going to fund some green fund, when, the rules themselves needed changing.

The inaugural appearance of President Monique Degar-Rashid piqued Carcaterra’s interest, he didn’t know what to make of Euclea’s newest leader. He had not spent much time with her when she served as Premier, both times that it is. He knew she was a typical centre-left figure, progressive, a continuity of the same old politics and well, woke. “Beware the immigrant one” his Interior Minister, Tullio Quagliariello told him before he left for the airport. As his Gaullican counterpart concluded, Carcaterra was impressed, she held her own, her speech belied her young appearance, perhaps they could do business. Her points were nonsense and the usual lofty hollowness to be found across the EC, but still, business could perhaps be done.

Carcaterra took a deep breath and readied his notes, here was the moment to plant the flag, Etruria was here and it will be heard.

“Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, friends and colleagues. First, I will thank our host for this lavish event and for his unique hospitality. Today marks a chance for world leaders to come together and pursue the means of progress and cooperation, that our world requires.

“As Madam President Degar-Rashid noted, our world is indeed facing fundamental changes and issues. We are witnessing a realignment of not just the centres of power, but also economics, politics and the very nature of human activity, from the rise of artificial intelligence to growing atomisation of the means of production.

“One issue that arises on what feels like an hourly basis, is climate change.” He paused, looking around the room.

“Many in this room today believe that is solely the result of human activity, that we have unleashed this unrelenting force upon ourselves, and yet, history tells us, the experts tell us, we have faced this before. Our world has suffered an ice age once before, and did human activity then unleash such a force? I cannot fathom a neanderthal having barely mastered fire could upend our climate. Yes, climate is changing and yes, the world is heating up, that cannot be denied entirely. Yet, if the neanderthal or early Man and his stone tools fell to climatic events, then surely it is the work of nature that we today, with our feats of engineering and industry would befall the same with no power or influence.

“What we may be looking at is nothing but unmitigated alarmism, or rather perhaps, we are witnessing an agenda of certain forces that hold dominion over the key systems of economic thought and international governance. What this climate change issue portrays, is a systematic drive to completely upend the very means of economic wellbeing of every nation state in the world. It is an agenda produced by the very same schools and forces who gave us, no, unleashed upon us, the devastation of neoliberalism and globalism.

“The very same people who placed heartless and careless pursuits of profit, enrichment before the well being of society and indeed the working people of nations, are now propagating a science that will again, demand the complete upheaval of economic life for millions. The people who enriched themselves off a system that ripped from millions in Euclea, their jobs, their incomes, their careers, their traditions, now wish to consign those people to utter misery and poverty by stripping from them, what few jobs they have because those jobs produce emissions.

“Am I saying the world is not getting warmer? No. Am I rejecting the tell-tale signs that the climate is changing, from the droughts in Zorasan, to the ever growing number of storms, hurricanes and such? No. What I am saying is that the relentless pursuit of upheaval within ten or twenty years is coming from those who will be entrenched in their position. To demand the lower earners of the developed world, or the poverty stricken of the developing world accept their station for the sake of the polar ice cap is unacceptable. Madam Goga is correct in her points, a goal fits all approach is not only inconsiderate, it is downright destructive. There are leaders in this room, that will not sacrifice millions of jobs and the economic well being of their societies in a hope that this supposed imminent catastrophe be averted. And I, as President of Etruria am one of them” he stopped, taking a sip of water from the glass to his right.

“Ladies and gentlemen, whilst on the matter of climate change a consensus may elude us, on Tsabara I am sure we can find common ground. For nearly a year, that nation has been torn asunder by competing forces inside its borders, aided without question, by forces outside. And yet, all sides and all nations of the Aurean Straits and the Solarian Sea, as well as Tsabara’s neighbours face the very real prospect of a human tsunami. A conflict that very much engenders the possibility of ethnic cleansing and a brutality not seen since the Great War, will produce refugees and they will flee in all directions.

“What Tsabara desperately needs is an internationally backed diplomatic process aimed at ending this conflict swiftly and carefully. I commend the initial efforts of Caldia and of course, Zorasan in bringing the government and rebel forces to the table, only for them to collapse in wake of mass murderous terror attacks. With international backing of the government in Adunis without question, those with influence on the opposing side must be merciful to the innocent, and bring them to the table once again” Carcaterra said.

“Thank you ladies and gentlemen” he bowed slightly and returned to his seat.

About me · by **Luziyca** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 4:41 pm

Tsuru Mawere
Mutungamiri of Rwizikuru

As Tsuru Mawere entered the Li Zhaozheng Convention Centre, he realized just how far he had come: at this time last year, he had retired from the Rwizikuran government-in-exile, and had yet to be pardoned by the monarch for his role in the 1981 putsch. He had resigned himself to dying in faraway Caldia. And now, here he is, representing the Kingdom of Rwizikuru as the Mutungamiri, or head of government.

As one of the new world leaders to appear on the scene, he recognized very few individuals, and the few he did, he had met during his career in the Rwizikuran government-in-exile. Either way, the reason why he was here was not to reminiscence of the times that he spent, but rather, to articulate Rwizikuru's position to the world.

After taking his seat between Nuxican Presdient Zacarías Figueroa, and Satucine Premier Martin Allaire, Mawere purused through his notes, while the other leaders were giving speeches.

Once Carcaterra's speech was done, Mawere rose to address the crowd, in a heavily-accented Gaullican: even after all those years, he still had an accent when speaking Gaullican.

"Your excellencies," he began. "I would like to begin by thanking His Excellency, Chairman Yuan, for organizing the summit, and to Her Excellency, President Goga, Her Excellency, President Degar-Abdulrashid, His Excellency, President Carcaterra, and to the Director of GIFA, Mr. Fonsesca, for their contributions to the summit."

"I would like to acknowledge that climate change exists and is a pressing threat to many countries across the world. That is not, nor should it be, in dispute. What should be in dispute is how we are going to solve this problem, in a way that benefits everyone, and not just the northern elite."

"We reject those who suggest to blindly reduce all emissions, for that will consign the south to eternal poverty, while allowing the north to continue to live their normal lives. Likewise, we reject those who suggest that we do nothing, for it will harm everyone, both in the south, and the north. What we need is an approach that is just for all: one that balances the needs of the world to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases, and that balances the need to eradicate global poverty."

"This brings me to my next point: global development. As was articulated by Mr. Fonsesca, the growing trends of protectionism, and of automation, threatens the economic security of many nations. Developing nations like Rwizikuru have seen slower economic growth in the past four years, and this suggests that this new economic system should be rejected. We must point out that between 1980 and 2005, countries in Euclea and the Asterias that have adopted neoliberalism, have fared much better economically than those that haven't."

"The solution is, to put it frankly, to commit to reduce regulations which burden businesses and the international economic system, so that the south, as well as the north, can prosper. We also must commit to fiscal responsibility, on keeping interest rates low, and all in all, providing incentives for the economy to benefit all people."

"Finally, I must extend my sympathies to the people of Tsabara, who through no fault of their own, find themselves in what may be the worst humanitarian crisis in decades. I have every confidence that this summit will produce a framework that will ensure a lasting peace in the region."

With that, Tsuru Mawere sat back down on his seat.

by **Caltarania** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 5:39 pm

Reginald Louis Wilton-Smyth
Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Estmere

Reginald Wilton-Smyth, esteemed Prime Minister of Estmere, wiped the sweat from his brow as he entered the Li Zhaozheng Convention Centre in a great huff. He was at least half an hour late. A few Xiaodongese security officers ushered him into the conference room, and he saw Yuan Xiannian himself, all dressed in blue. Reginald offered an icy stare, as the two shook hands and exchanged a few rogue pleasantries.

The arrogance and impropriety of the Xiaodongese was not lost on him; how dare they treat a leader of the free world such as him with such disdain! It was astounding; his hotel was seperate from that of the others - the leaders of Etruria and Senria seemed to have recieved the same treatment - his room was an absolute sty, and he'd been kept up at the border due to "security concerns". Security concerns! About the Prime Minister of Estmere! There was no love lost between Reginald and the Xiaodongese state, but nevertheless, what astoundingly childish behaviour. So much for the tolerant left!

As Reginald approached his seat, he noted that the trip might not be a total bore after all. To his right was sat that woman - what was her name? - the one from Eldmark. Tired Bray? But, ah, to his left sat his good friend Carcaterra; he could not wait to catch up with him. Walker and Hermansdohter were in earshot, too; Reginald hoped that they would stick to their end of the bargain.

Reginald felt Carcaterra pat him on the back, as he quipped. Reginald chuckled, sputtering out his response.

"Their sheer audacity astounds me!" Reginald spat, shaking the Etrurian's hand. "It is good you are here, Franceso; God help us."

Reginald peered down from his spectacles, glancing at his ePad. His staffers had insisted he use it, and had taken it upon themselves to move all his notes into the wretched thing. "It will improve your standing with young voters!" they nagged, "you need to reach out to them, they hold the keys to power!" they moaned. Such wet blankets. They were right, of course - private polling was saying that he was bleeding young voters to Reform and the SDCP - but they could have been less alarmist about it. Reginald pointed his finger directly downwards, tapping at the screen to get it to unlock. Damned fingerprinting system was useless.

He was eventually able to get to his notes, but by this time Yuan had began his opening speech. Reginald's eyes darted from screen to scream, as he tried to read his notes while listening to the speech.

As always, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Redistribution of State of the Presidium was sure to bang on about his "achievements" (Shouldn't those be collectivised, Red Yuan?) and to forget to mention the atrocities committed by his horrid regime in the pursuit of power and in the name of authoritarianism, National Principalism and socialismo. Reginald was relieved that Yuan acknowledged the bredth of opinion on the cause of climate change, though.

Ms. Goga's speech, which followed, was similarly bragful, but Reginald could at least respect how far Narozalica had come. It had it's flaws - oh boy did it have those - but it seemed intent on fixing them. Raul Fonseca - that GIFA geek - spoke some sense about tightening fiscal spending, but had to ruin it with some rubbish about green energy. Then spoke the wildcard; Monique Degar-Abdulrashid. She was articulate, and certainly easy on the eyes, but she did waffle on about the climate nonsense for too long. Carcaterra's speech was far more agreeable, though perhaps a touch tone-deaf. Mawere, who spoke next, was quite forgetable; Reginald wondered why Rwizikuru was represented here, anyway.

As Maware winded down, Reginald took to his feet. He let out a slight cough into his hands as he cleared his throat.

"Good afternoon, honourable ladies and gentlemen" he began. "It is good to see each and every one of you, and I thank my esteemed colleagues for their impassioned speeches. I would also like to thank Yuan, our host, for his unbeatable hospitality, and for sharing his great city with us." It was quite clear that Reginald was speaking through gritted teeth. "This year has been eventful. Our world is facing unprecedented struggles. It is my fervent belief that we must tackle these issues with all the strength we can muster: I know I speak for the whole of Estmere when I say that our guns are, proverbially, loaded, and we are ready to take aim at the issues."

"Climate change has been mentioned by our host and by many colleagues, and I appreciate that this is an issue which will affect not only us, but our children and grandchildren. There has been a great degree of alarmism - as there often is with great issues that people take to heart - but there can be no denying that the issue is real. The cause remains uncertain, and there remains no scientific consensus, and so we cannot allow ourselves to use a hammer to swat a fly, so to speak. Our response must be in keeping with the scale of the crisis. This is a crisis of global proportions, but let us not be fooled by armchair slacktivists and virtue signalling college students; this is not world-ending."

"Let us be real; this is a crisis caused by the recklessness of certain peoples, who are willing to eschew reason and sustainability in exchange for statistics to brag about. When Euclea industrialised, it did so at a reasonable pace, and we saw no major increase in CO2 emissions. In fact, Euclea has seen its CO2 output growth decrease over the past decade! The free market - in Gaullica, in Estmere, and in Werania - has found ways to transition to a better system of energy production. There is no need for us to distort the free market with government overreach; our systems are robust, and can deal with this issue as they have dealt with every major issue for the past thousand years. The issue lies with the few states who refuse to adopt and adapt to the free market; who cling to outdated ideology. Let us help the free market solve this issue, and let us punish those nations who refuse to allow it entry."

"While debate is warranted on climate change, the crisis in Tsabara is surely an issue on which we can all find common ground from the start. It is not in the interests of anyone for Tsabarans to pour over the border into Euclea and Couis. It is not in the interests of anyone to allow their infrastructure and oil industry to fall into the wrong hands, or worse, fall into disrepair. It is in the interests of no-one for Tsabara to fall into further chaos. But, if we are to fix the issue there, we must acknowledge the causes. This civil war may have erupted organically, but certain elements have used their power to funnel weapons and funding toward illegal terrorist groups in the region. We must put a stop to this, so that stability can return."

"We need to, and I will be pushing for this personally, come up with a global response to Tsabara. Thankfully, the great Estmerish Navy is already participating in some great work to prevent an overflow of refugees into Euclea, and it has done so in cooperation with the Etrurian Navy and the combined navies of the Euclean Community. We need other nations to step up to the plate, and we need to ensure that the rightful government is able to stand up to terrorists."

Reginald straightened his tie.

"Thank you, colleagues" he said, as he sat back in his chair. God, he was such a good public speaker.

by **Geatland2** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 6:38 pm

Karl Nilsson Jung
Premier of Geatland

Well here goes nothing.

The premier shuffled into the conference room and slid into his seat. He was sporting a black blazer atop a white button-down dress shirt, black chinos, a black tie, and his characteristic white plimsolls. This turnout was not to Jung's taste, which preferred a more relaxed, airy presentation.

To Jung's left sat the leader of Halland, to his right the newly-minted Gaullican president Monique Degar-Abdulrashid. Two preeminent political figures. Premier Jung the representative of a rock off the coast of Euclea. He chatted with his neighbors but mostly reserved himself to speaking with his entourage and tapping his fingers on the table. If only he could have a cigarette now, he thought. The anxiety was building up.

The conference began and a lineup of leaders spoke. First was the State Chairman of Xiaodong Yuan Xiannan. Pretty bog standard. Following him was the Narozalican President Valentina Goga, a woman Jung had never met. She seemed more interested in fapping off her own country than anything else. Then came Raul Fonseca of GIFA. He spoke of a green energy fund, which was to Jung's interest. Everything after that was somewhat blurry, as last night's lack of sleep and the tinge of alcohol caught up to him. The Etrurian President Carcaterra spoke of humanity's resistance and such and such. The Estmerish Wilton-Smyth sang a similar tune.

To think that he was here was odd. Jung was a businessman, the child of Geatish light aristocracy. His great-grandfather and great-uncle had been premiers, but he never expected to rise to that occasion. Within the span of eight years he went from working as an actuarial consultant to becoming a member of the Folkting, then business minister, then leader of FOLK and premier. A quick rise, certainly, but he was a toddler among experienced statesmen.

When it came time for Nilsson to speak, he wore a leery, toothy smile. His voice was smooth and even, his barotone deep and his hands expressive.

"Thank you, State Chairman Yuan, for inviting us to be a part of this discussion. We Geats live on a small rock in the middle of the Northern Sea, so we're always encouraged when we have the opportunity to attend these sorts of gatherings."

"First, I want to express the sympathies of Her Majesty's Government for the ongoing situation in Tsabara. Ghastly situation."

"On the topic of the climate, one would be foolish to suggest that it isn't changing. One would be foolish to suggest that we don't have a hand in the environment's evolution in this direction. We should do something about it. This isn't the place for denialism." Jung shot a quick glance at Carcaterra.

"My brand of conservatism sees us conserve our environment. Safeguard it for future generations. I am eager to discuss the plans members put forward today. I commend Mr. Fonseca for his green energy fund proposal. I am no economist, but the truth is that oil and coal pervade our society because they are cheap and inexpensive. If we make green energy less expensive, more people would adopt it. For instance, my government has subsidized electric cars, bringing the price down to within the middle class's buying power. We subsidize the building of solar panels. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but we can find common threads I think."

Already cringe.

by **West Miersa** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 6:43 pm

Adrian Rozak
Minister-President of the Miersan Federation

Adrian Rozak strided in with confidence to the Li Zhaozheng Convention Centre: even though he was now certainly the last man to ever hold this position, he still had duties to do as Minister-President, and they would probably not accept Sylwester Wrzesiński. After having shook Goga's hand in response to her nodding at him, he exchanged pleasantries with President Werner Okonkwo.

Once the speeches began, he glanced at his notes. Yuan, Goga, Fonseca, Degar-Abdulrashid, Carcaterra, Wilton-Smyth, and finally, Jung. As he listened intently, he garnered impressions of the newcomers, especially Degar-Abdulrashid, but to a lesser extent updated his impressions of the more familiar figures: Yuan, Goga, and Carcatera.

When Jung finished speaking, Rozak finally rose up to speak.

"Good afternoon. I would like to thank everyone who has spoken so far for their productive contributions to this summit, especially Presidents Goga and Carcaterra, who have brought innovative opinions and strategies to the table, and to Chairman Yuan for his meticulous organization of the summit."

"As the Minister-President of Miersa, this 'climate change' is only happening for it is part of God's divine plan over humanity. While it is true that man has played some role in shaping 'climate change,' the fact of the matter is that this 'climate change' is not a manmade problem, but rather, it is simply God's will. Even though climate change may be part of God's plan, as Sotirians, we have an obligation to help those less fortunate than us, so that they will live better lives. To this end, Miersa shall support any plan that ensures that nations can rise out of poverty, that protects the livelihoods of every man, and that protects the environment."

"With regards to the economy, we echo President Goga's proposals to introduce efficient, affordable and reliant energy sources to developing economies, Fonseca's suggestions to reduce trade barriers between nations and blocs, and Mawere's suggestions to reduce regulations. These three strategies will, I believe, improve the global economy for the benefit of the average man."

"Finally, the Miersan Federation is confident of this summit's ability to create a solution to the Tsabaran Crisis, and ensure a lasting peace in the country. This will hopefully ease the pressure on Euclea and Tsabara's neighbours, and allow Tsabarans to return home to live their normal lives, free from fear."

"Thank you."

by **Inhorto** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 7:39 pm

Etruria2 wrote:-snip-

West Miersa wrote:-snip-

Jesus Sotiras save us from these nutters. Fonseca thought, slouching back into his chair.

by **Union of Akoren** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 7:56 pm

Farzad Akbari
First Minister of the Union of Zorasani Irfanic Republics

First Minister of the Union Farzad Akbari laughed as he watched the home video on the smartphone of the uniformed man opposite him in the car. Akbari’s now iconic smile which leant him in some quarters the status of the most jovial world leader beamed, spreading smiles all round his team.

“A sweet boy Sardar” Akbari chuckled as he returned the phone to Major General Adavazdar Golzadari, his chaperone from the all-powerful Central Command Council, the military body back home, that according to some, was the true power centre in the country.

“Thank you, First Minister,” the general smiled, looking longingly at the paused image of his eldest grandson. Golzadari’s presence would no doubt reinforce that belief about Zorasan’s hybrid regime, though in reality it was a long tradition. In many ways it was a manifestation of the governing system itself, a complete fusion of the civic and military, a fusion so deep that the CCC held as much a veto over foreign policy as it did defence policy, though not wishing to see diplomats or any other civilian leader having to leave the negotiation table to call home, having a chosen representative travel with the public figure was seen as a declaration of unity, while removing the necessity of having to take a phone into a broom closet. Golzadari’s presence was aided by the reality that ties between the civic and military worlds was relatively warm under Akbari’s leadership, if that civility belied a deeper rivalry between the two sides for true influence and control over policy.

“How old is he now?” the First Minister asked, observing the blue skies with a smile.

“Three, he grows fast, too fast in many ways” the general replied.

“They always do Sardar, cherish these moments, once they reach that age, they won’t want to spend time chasing their grandfather around the gardens, cherish them” Akbari nodded with a warm smile.

“Here First Minister, the notes compiled by the Foreign Ministry. They’re very clear that you must expect hostility on the Tsabara question” an aide spoke up, passing the head of government a tablet.

“No doubt my dear” the Turbaned gentlemen said as he took to reading the electronic notes, “it is a nest of vipers, there is no question about it. But such are the times we live in, a great awakening is now stirring in the North, an awakening to the changing world and the changing powers rising across the South. Tsabara is the first test of this new world. By the grace of God, we should hopefully be spared a thousand viper bites” Akbari smiled to himself as he scrolled.

“Be strong First Minister, the Central Command Council has faith in you” Golzadari nodded.

“That is most reassuring my friend, if the Eucleans and their lackies in Asteria think we shall stand by and be lectured on the Tsabaran matter, they are mistaken. There are consequences for the games they play and there are even deeper consequences for backing a coup led by a Keshdar. Thousands of dead already for what? A pliant fool who would sell the family silver for office, a sad tale we have seen a thousand times. But the Irfanic World won’t be taking it this time, we are not their colonial subjects anymore” Akbari looked up from the tablet, his jovial manner replaced with a seriousness rare to find itself engulfing him.

“No, we are not First Minister, bring shudders to the enemy, let that rabid dog in Ashcombe hear our voice” Golzadari nodded once more.

“I think I may prefer Rongzhuo to here, the capital has more to see, certainly the oldest parts. Baiqiao is very modern, a stunning success story of course, but lacking that old aesthetic, hm, it’s Xiaodong’s answer to Izidhar al-Mina” Akbari remarked, seemingly to himself.

“You do not like the pearl of the parishar?” Golzadari enquired.

“Oh of course I do, it’s our own symbol of success. But they destroyed so much of the original city, no one particularly likes those mud-built homes and those tiny streets, but still, they have character, stories to tell. Those big glass and steel towers, they do not have stories to tell. No character in the materials, fancy looking, but soulless I suppose” Akbari replied, turning to his aides in the large 4x4 at a turn.
“You’ve been up on the slopes too much, you sound like a poet contemplating the world before him, no doubt as a mountain cat is prowling behind you” Golzadari laughed.

Akbari beamed, “yes, you are correct. Higher you go in Zahedan, the more the air finds space between the ears.”

“I wonder how Gaullica’s new president will fair, perhaps she will be more understanding, being one of us” Golzadari asked aloud, turning to the aides and the First Minister.

“I suspect that she has lost her Irfanic nature. I will not expect an olive branch from her, no doubt she’s lost to the Solarian way of things. Though having family in Tsabara, that would make it more likely she will side with that Wilton-Smath, or whatever the pig’s behind is called. She will be nimbler with Qutayni’s strings than the old man” Akbari retorted, “and those strings are tightly wound, that man is a disgrace to all Irfani, God have mercy on him.”

“Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un”, Abdulmalik, the First Minister’s favourite Irvadi aide interjected. Drawing a laugh from Golzadari and an inquisitive look from Akbari.

“Indeed sahib” Akbari nodded.

“It is a shame what happened with the Caldish talks First Minister, the Central Command Council shared your disappointment” Golzadari’s entire aura changed, his phone hidden away, his eyes locked on Akbari’s.

“But you understand yes? This an opportunity for the Union, one that cannot be missed, or blundered. Tsabara is at the core of our interests, the Union’s that is. We cannot under any circumstances permit the existence of a pro-Euclean, puppet state on our borders. When the time comes, if it should come, the decision will be made. We cannot afford a fig leaf, you do not at any point hint that we would accept that possibility. Strength must ooze from your words” Golzadari said calmly, the First Minister nodding meekly.

“You know our history as well as anyone in this car, you know what happens when civil leaders make tragic mistakes with the Union’s destiny. The Turfan was a truly epic moment, a fifteen-year effort by traitors and camel fuckers to undo the Arduous Revolution, to remove us, the guardians of our founding fathers’ wishes, obliterated. We are the chosen nation of Khoda, to deliver for all Irfani a safer world. We won’t allow that keshdar filth in Adunis endanger that and we won’t allow a single Zorasani do so either, I am sure you understand the importance of this summit then?” Golzadari smiled.

“Yes of course Sardar” Akbari replied, his signature smile weakened.

“Say whatever you wish about climate change, that is not the Central Command Council’s concern. As long as the imperialists don’t condemn us to poverty, you have our full support on this matter” Golzadari sharply spoke, returning to his smartphone.

Akbari returned to surveying Baiqiao, his blood boiling once again. He respected the Major General and did consider him a friend, he knew Golzadari took no joy in what is known among civilian politicians as the “talk.” Akbari shared the military’s views and plans, albeit he thought them too hot headed and narrowminded, but as is always the case with Zorasan, that will never change and never could he do anything about it. In truth, Akbari did prefer to see diplomacy, but he was made clear numerous times that if a single Euclean soldier steps foot in Tsabara in direct support of the Adunis government, then the CCC would not waste a single second in ordering the same, this summit was a chance but also a charade. Fortunately for him, his popularity at home exceeded virtually every post-unification leader and he was now damp rag, he had allies and he had ideas of his own, but that was for another day.

Akbari didn’t utter another word and neither did Golzadari, the suffocating silence came to a blessed end when the car pulled up to the convention centre. Akbari exited first, Abdulmalik taking his arm, “smile First Minister, do not let those leaders believe you are a puppet, because you are not, it is just the way of our motherland.”

“I know Sahib, perhaps one day they will come to trust us civilians again. My own record and story do not countenance trust, such is the way of the Central Command Council. We will pray for them when we return home, we will pray for their minds and hearts to open to their own people” Akbari smiled, his signature returning.

Akbari then nodded to Golzadari as he exited the vehicle, straightening his medal emblazoned tunic, who saluted in turn. And so he turned and headed inside.

Escorted by Xiaodongese security, he was led up to his friend and ally, Yuan. Tightly gripping his friend’s hands, they exchanged pleasantries, catching up on family, before offering swift exchanges on common positions and points. Akbari held his friend’s arm and wished him well before entering the main hall.

Pleasantly surprised, Akbari took his seat to the left of Yuan at the head of the table, noting that his Satrian friend, Salil Balchandra was to Yuan’s right. This, Akbari thought, was no greater symbol for what this summit was for a recognition of the changing times.

Akbari looked to his right to find Werania’s Chancellor Otto von Hößlin. One of Euclea’s fine racists and supremacists. A country once counted as a Zorasani ally, especially in the final stages of unification when arranged against the kind and noble of the desert were the forces of radical council socialism. Shame that joint commitment to evict the godless and destructive ideology from the Irfanic world gave in to Werania parroting the neo-imperialist points of the EC. A frail lion protecting a withering pride, poor misguided fool. No doubt pent up with poisonous words on the Tsabara issue, though what Euclean doesn’t fear an ascendant Zorasani nation, it is always natural for one to fear the inevitable, especially if it draws a close to one’s own spot in the bright sun, but such is the order of things.

Akbari settled in and listened intently to Yuan’s opening statement, a litany of agreed points and common positions, he nodded enthusiastically, a fine opening. Then came the Narozalican woman, Akbari cared not for her, after all, she headed a government that self-congratulated its independence and own power and yet pandered to the EC on matters relating to Coius, Her points on energy were tired as they were predictable, having shystered away Euclea’s energy independence, her turning of gaze to markets beyond Euclea was wishful. Energy rivalries are good for business, at least in Zorasan, it is believed the greater the competition the greater drive there is for modernisation, diversification and indeed making full use of possessing the world’s largest reserves for the benefit of all, rather than the blatant nefarious objectives of the enemy.

The head of the Global Institute for Fiscal Affairs’s entire speech was pointless, after all, the GIFA was there to uphold the Euclean World Order, decaying as it is. The proposal on a green fund for developing nations, sounds very much like a new plot for the dissolution of Coian sovereignty, another mischievous plot to control Coian economies, and not to be trusted.

Then came the young Gaullican President. Akbari listened closely, hanging on every word to understand this new addition to the ranks of world leaders, her point on climate change was expected and no doubt to be repeated by others who are content to deny the rest of the world their successes and luxuries. Yet, her point on Tsabara was confirmation of his initial beliefs. A point not lost on Golzadari who passed a note to the First Minister via Abdulmalik, reading, “well, you were right. A lost woman whored out to Euclea.” Akbari winced at such language, but he embraced the vindication.

Ah, Francesco Carcaterra, perhaps the most loathsome leader in Euclea, a carbon copy of the genocidal National Solarians who threw the western hemisphere into war because they were not handed more Coian nations to exploit and abuse. Akbari and Zorasan held no love for Carcaterra or his Etruria, how many Zorasanis were killed fighting to end the Etrurian colonial domination, only to be met by bullet, bayonet, and chemical gas, too many. And now, many a Zorasani immigrant subject to daily racial abuse, if not violence, this was the worst of Euclea and he took pride in his vileness.

After listening through the speech of Mutungamiri Tsuru Mawere, Akbari was finally feeling comfortable, reaching that point of fazing out the surrounding sound, that is until Reginald Wilton-Smyth stood up. Akbari tensed immediately; he could feel Golzadari do the same behind him. Akbari’s face tightened as he listened to this thug, a man dedicated to the obliteration of the Irfanic World’s destiny and that of Zorasan. A leader who peacocks around like its 1889, and Coians lays prostrate before Euclea. A man of utterly limited cognitive ability to see and accept reality for what it is. If Von Hößlin was a frail lion roaring for a withering pride, then Wilton-Smyth was the mangey hyena screeching at the rising sun, demanding the return of night. Wilton-Smyth’s words were as predictable as they were simple, certainly no wordsmith this one.

Akbari opted to make swift notes during President Rozak’s speech, readying himself for his own statement to the summit. And quickly did that moment arrive.

“Friends, colleagues and fellow world leaders. Thank you Chairman Yuan, for hosting this auspicious event and furthermore, thank you for bringing us together at this critical juncture.

“Friends and colleagues, Our world is changing, and with change comes those who welcome it and those who do all they can to resist it. This resistance is global as it is local, it takes many forms, some harmless, others, destructive. Resistance to change can drive any noble nation toward egregious actions, usually at the expense of human life, dignity, liberty and justice.

“I would like to begin on the matter of Tsabara, which compared to any nation present here today, Zorasan has been forced to confront head-on. We hold within our borders 900,000 displaced and dispossessed men, women and children. Evicted from their homes, or the ruins of their homes by a government that is both illegitimate as it is keen on warring upon its own people. And this government, has everything to do with the resistance change. For this government, in an act of violent criminality, overthrew a democratically elected government, because its policies, though supported by a majority of the Tsabaran population, did not align with the interests of some governments or entities, let alone the ambitions of the man who assumed power in its bloody aftermath.

“As the bodies of democratically elected servants of the people were carried out of Nazim al-Qutayni’s office, he swiftly began to make plans for the war on his own people. Murdering their political leaders not being enough, now he sought to use the force of arms to brand his will upon them. The lapse in memory of this coup by some governments belies their own intentions, it reveals to all, their own hands in its execution. For it was government that looked to its Coian neighbours for inspiration, took to Coian ideals and principles, not Euclean and for that, it was slaughtered into oblivion.

“This is not a war between a government that is noble in intentions against a band of terrorists, it is a war between a government that was birthed through a hail of bullets and murder, against a population that refuses to have its voice silenced by gunfire. Yes, the war must end and must end swiftly, but the only way to guarantee an end to the bloodshed, is for those who back the illegitimate government in Adunis to cease. End the supplies of weapons and money, cease propping up a thuggish criminal who parades as a defender of democracy, when his very own government sits upon its corpse. Those who aid this government have on their hands the stains of 15,000 dead.

“Contrary to those who see the world through a lens made in the past century, we did not start this war, we did not orchestrate it, nor do we fuel it. For it us who house its victims, it is us who feed them and keep them warm, for that is our religious obligation as well as the obligation as human beings. If the nations of the world wish to avert the coming tide of human suffering, then they must cease their support for a government of criminals, and most importantly, support those nations already succumbing to the human wave of tearful mothers and orphans. The ball as they say, is in your court. The days of Coius being mere playthings for the machinations and plots of wannabe conquering heroes is over, the day of true Coian prosperity and independence is upon us, it is you who must recognise the mistake and make amends, help Zorasan protect the helpless and innocent who now reside in camps, and help those very same people by allowing those people reclaim their lost democracy” Akbari stopped, hoping for his words to be heeded.

“On the matter of climate change, yet again it rings injustice. Yet again, it is a science peddled by the same powers of the North. I will not deny that Zorasan faces ecological troubles, much driven by changes in the climate and we as a nation are spearheading a great effort to confront them. We will triumph over droughts and the loss of water, just as we have triumphed over every obstacle and trial. But what we will not do, is allow the imposition of a global policy in which the global south is condemned for obtaining the standards of living that Euclea and the Asterias possess. This climate crisis began well before the global south made its presence even known in the atmosphere, and now we are the ones to be blamed. Is not a coincidence that the era in which the global south makes incredible strides toward development that now we must cease or risk ecological disaster? Is it not coincidence when the economic influence of the North comes under threat from an enriched and productive South, that the North cries havoc and demands we imprison ourselves in developing status? Is it not clear that the North seeks to deny us our right to achieve developed status? Having imprisoned us for centuries through colonialism, we must now again be denied our destinies because of the damage wrought by the North itself?

“Yes, we must confront this challenge together, but as equals and in an equitable way. We must confront this issue in recognition that billions are yet to escape poverty, poverty created by generations of colonial rule. We can confront climate change and we can do so in a manner that does not consign millions across the world to poverty for the sake of the wealthy Euclean, Senrian or Asterian. Hear me when I say the South will not accept it and we will speak up and we will stand up.

“Thank you friends and colleagues.”

by **Qianrong** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 10:29 pm

Reika Okura
Prime Minister of the Republic of Senria

Reika Okura was in enemy territory.

Personally she had never been quite as hardline on the issue of Senrian-Xiaodongese relations as her predecessor, Hayato Nisimura, but even the most dovish Senrian politicians could not deny the truth about their neighbor across the straits- "the aggressor nation", as it had been dubbed in Great War-era rhetoric. The Xiaodongese were, by their very nature, aggressive, domineering, hegemonic, dangerous. A threat to peace in Coius, and to Senria in particular.

So when it had been announced that Baiqiao was in the running for the 2020 IES summit, Senria had been less than thrilled. It had tried everything in its power to get a different city named as host - but, alas, to no avail. Xiaodong would get the prestige of hosting the conference, and Senria would spend the entire summit on the back foot.

Of course, there would be some friendly faces in the room. Hwa Hye-su, chairwoman of COMSED - an organization which Senria had founded and dominated - was likely to lend her support to Senria as needed, as was Kuthina's Kanok Devakula. Estmere's Wilton-Smyth, Gaullica's Degar-Abdulrashid, Halland's Quinn, and Werania's von Hößlin were likely to prove helpful for when the discussion drifted over to the Tsabaran crisis, a circumstance in which Okura would let them take the lead and act in a supporting role; Okura was also thankful that Werania's low place in the alphabet had saved her from having to sit next to Farzad Akbari, Yuan Xiannian's perpetually grinning Zorasani ally. Of course, the typical Euclean allies were less likely to be helpful on the issue of climate change (bar Wilton-Smyth, who could be relied upon to stand with Senria on such counts); on that count she might end up aligning more with Etruria's Carcaterra, and, perhaps, even with her enemies in the room.

Under the circumstances, Okura was in no hurry to speak. She could not remain silent, lest she appear cowed by the summit's location or the thuggish behavior of the host country - but she would let others say their piece first before stepping to the microphone herself.

The first speech, naturally, was delivered by Yuan Xiannian. Yuan was a contemptible man, a militaristic genocide denialist and a solid reminder of the fact that Xiaodongese character had, fundamentally, remained unchanged since the days of Qiu Hanjie, Shen Jinping, and Lu Keqian. Yuan talked at length but ultimately said little; beyond some egotistical boasting about his supposed achievements, and some words on climate change which Okura was admittedly sympathetic to, there was nothing of value or meaning in his haughty bloviations.

Next was Valentina Goga of Narozalica. Senria was not on great terms with Narozalica, necessarily, but their conflict was a very indirect one - a side effect of Senria's close ties to the great powers of eastern Euclea rather than any direct antagonism between Senria and Narozalica themselves. Her emphasis on economic development in a section of her speech nominally devoted to climate change was one which pleased Okura - another potential ally on that count, perhaps? - but beyond that her speech was largely unremarkable.

Then came Raul Fonseca, head of GIFA. Senria had long cooperated with GIFA and, having served as Minister of Revenue under Nisimura, Okura had some acuity on economic matters. She followed his speech intently, tracking his numbers and figures, pursing her lips slightly at his emphasis on a green energy fund. No doubt he would be more inclined to side with Senria's Euclean allies on Tsabara, but he might be trouble on the climate change count.

After Fonseca was Monique Degar-Abdulrashid, the new premier of Gaullica. Here too Okura followed closely, trying to get a gauge on the new, young leader of one of Euclea's leading powers. A staunch member of the EC, Gaullica was formally a Senrian ally, but there was some hesitance in Senrian circles to trust Gaullica too much - they had been allies of the aggressor nation during the Great War, and some in Gaullica continued to entertain dangerously Xiaophilic ideas. That aside, her speech was largely as expected; Okura expected Degar-Abdulrashid to be a particularly powerful voice on the Tsabaran situation, making a mental note to follow her lead when that particular topic came up.

The next to speak would be Francesco Carcaterra of Etruria. Herself, Carcaterra, and Wilton-Smyth had spent the preceding night in the same hotel - a decidedly subpar one, undoubtedly the works of their host nation. Senria's relationship with Etruria was one that perhaps could be capitalized upon; they were not as close as Senria was with Estmere and Werania, but Senria and Etruria did have certain... shared sentiments about Senria's Euclean allies, the mistreatment in 1935 that Etruria called the grande tradimento and that Senria called the hakuzin souri. Mind, Senria had developed a productive working relationship with Estmere, Werania, and even Gaullica in the past eight and a half decades - and it needed to retain that working relationship in order to retain access to EC markets - so Senria was hardly inclined to throw its Euclean allies, and eighty-five years of diplomacy with them, under the bus; but, nonetheless, she couldn't help but acknowledge that there was potential with Etruria that Senria could capitalize upon.

Carcaterra's speech largely seemed to confirm that suspicion. His denunciation of "globalism" was of some concern, Senria's export-heavy economy benefitted massively from the reduction of tariffs and trade barriers that neoliberalism had brought about, but his declarations on global warming and Tsabara were deeply reassuring. Perhaps she could get her staff to arrange a one-on-one meeting with Carcaterra after summit business closed for the day; at the minimum it might distract the both of them from the lodgings the Xiaodongese had put them in.

Following Carcaterra was Rwizikuru's Tsuru Mawere. Okura cared relatively little about Bahia, beyond its status as an area of competition for influence between COMSED and the IFDS. His speech said relatively little, but what was said was largely sentiments that Senria could echo; Rwizikuru was a COMSED member, and the knowledge that Mawere would likely be on her side once the debates truly began was some additional comfort.

Next to speak was Reginald Wilton-Smyth, Estmerish prime minister. The so-called "special relationship" between Senria and Estmere dated back to the Senrian Revolution, and Okura was reasonably confident that Wilton-Smyth would prove a reliable ally during the conference. His speech seemed more the sort to be aimed at one's voting base than at world leaders, but, stripping aside the out-of-place bombastic rhetoric, his core points were largely reasonable.

After short and unremarkable speeches from the leaders of Geatland and West Miersa, Zorasan's Farzad Akbari rose to speak. Okura shuffled in her seat to mask her displeasure; the UZIR was the most reliable ally of the aggressor nation, having co-founded the IFDS and ROSPO alongside it, and would no doubt prove to be trouble during the conference. Eventually, she knew, the Xiaodong-Zorasan relationship would break down; both nations sought hegemony over the whole of Coius, and eventually each would find the other standing in their way; but there was no guarantee that date would come any time soon, and until it did come, Zorasan would be second only to Xiaodong itself as an antagonistic force in Coius. As for the speech - well. Senria was relatively unconcerned with Tsabara and Akbari's belligerent rhetoric there was noteworthy only as a signifier of the imperial ambitions of ROSPO's leaders, but Akbari's choice phrasing of "the wealthy Euclean, Senrian, or Asterian" in his words on climate change was one which did not exactly thrill her.

Having now heard out most of the relevant attendees of the summit, Okura moved to speak herself:

"Honorable ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor and pleasure to work with you today on the issues facing our countries and our planet. I would like to thank those of you who have spoken already for relaying your thoughts on these pressing issues, and for your leadership in proactively seeking solutions to them." She left out any mention of the hosts, offering no thanks for their nonexistent hospitality - an omission she hoped would be noticed.

"I must agree with the honorable Mr. Fonseca with regards to the importance of preserving economic growth, prosperity, and interconnectedness in these trying times. As the Senrian nation can testify to, responsible governance combined with mutually-beneficial trade can do great work in improving wages, standard of living, and measures of both economic and social well-being, and it is imperative for all of us as leaders to strengthen those factors, which offer the opportunity for the enrichment of all peoples in all nations."

"I would also like to express my agreement with the sentiments expressed by many of you - including the honorable Ms. Degar-Abdulrashid, the honorable Mr. Carcaterra, the honorable Mr. Wilton-Smyth, and Yuan Xiannian, in your speeches - about the importance of finding a solution to the political and humanitarian crisis engulfing Tsabara, and with the sentiment that any effective solution will no doubt have to be multilateral in nature. It is my hope that we can find such a solution in the coming sessions. That said, if we are to find a lasting solution to this horrific crisis, we will have to acknowledge and address the simple if unpleasant fact that there are some individuals in this room, loath though they might be to admit it, who have played an outsized role in provoking this situation, whether through economic, political, or military means of destabilization."

"Finally, I would like to express my agreements with the sentiments expressed by the honorable Mrs. Goga, the honorable Mr. Carcaterra, the honorable Mr. Wilton-Smyth, the honorable Mr. Mawere, Yuan Xiannian, and Farzad Akbari with regards to the issue of climate change. Certainly this is a pressing issue for many among us, whatever its cause may be, but as has been wisely noted, we cannot allow ourselves to lose sight of the importance of economic development and we cannot hastily apply a one-size-fits-all solution that will inflict great harm upon the global south. These dual points, prosperity and equity, must remain in our minds as we seek a solution to this issue."

"I look forward to working with you all on addressing these pressing issues in an effective and equitable manner, and have great confidence in our ability, through diplomacy, to resolve these issues and in the process help construct a better world. Thank you."

by **Eskaeba** » Sun Oct 25, 2020 3:08 am

Sylvain Sikali
President of the Republic of Garambura

Sikali knew this summit was one of the most crucial in Garambura's recent history. What he managed to achieve during this summit would likely define the first year of his tenure as President. He was certainly unnerved by the barrage of influential and famed world leaders that sat in the hall as Chairman Yuan greeted him with a smile and a firm handshake. He looked across the circular table for his name and his country's flag, and was relieved to find himself sat next to Gaullican president Monique Degar-Abdulrashid and GIFA director Raul Fonseca.

"No next-door hostilities", he thought to himself as he sat, "that's a good start."

While also significant for Garambura, the summit was also a pivotal milestone with the economics of Bahia, with four countries represented at the summit. Sikali knew that this was a prime opportunity to focus the summit on the developmental needs of the Bahian economies.

As the summit began, he watched intently as an array of world leaders delivered their opening speeches, including Tsuru Mawere, the new Mutangamiri of Rwizikuru, who he made sure to pay close attention to. The final person to speak before Sikali chose to stand was Senrian Prime Minister Reika Okura, who made sure to do her best in insulting the host nation, which left a poor taste in his diplomatically-cooperative-minded mouth.

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen.", he said as he stood, fixing his wide tie and adjusting his collar, "it is my pleasure to today address you as the representative of the Republic of Garambura on the international stage."

"First, I would like to thank Chairman Yuan for organising this event, as many have done so before me."

"I've come here to the summit in this fine city with clear-cut goals and agendas that I wish to put forward to not only advance the domestic economy of Garambura, but to give hope and prosperity to all economies who, like ourselves, are currently undergoing the rapid process of development and modernisation."

"It is pleasing to see that at this year's summit, we have the largest presence of Bahian diplomatic representatives of any B-15 meeting in history. It is also with this fact that I am optimistic that we can leave this hall in three days' time with a suitable plan to encourage growth in a region of infinite economic potential."

"With the assistance of funds from both the Euclean Community and the International Forum for Developing States, Garambura has provided a much-needed boost to its own manufacturing sector, providing thousands of jobs and raising Garamburan industrial output on the level we have expected it to be at for the last ten years. Along with this, we have also seen an increasing amount of international corporations basing themselves in Garambura, delivering essential boosts to urban economies across the country."

"But I cannot stand here and deliver fact after figure about our own economy without acknowledging the indigent circumstances some of our Bahian neighbours find themselves in. As a member state of the Congress of Bahian States, we are devoted to the progression and development of all Bahian states -- not just our own. Not every country has been blessed with economic and social stability as we have. As I stand here today, I encourage that all members of this forum reach conclusions on issues specific to developing states, and ones that are especially relevant in Bahia. We should be aiming to streamline the transfer of remittances for developing states, we should be aiming to increase the presence of developing countries and international organisations in assisting developing countries in utilising their revenue domestically, and first-and-foremost, we should be aiming to achieve full integration of all developing economies into the wider global economy."

"In addition to this, as the honourable Ms. Degar-Abdulrashid has already mentioned, it is crucial that we acknowledge the effects that man-made climate change has had -- and will have -- on our atmosphere and environment. With the assistance of aid from the Gaullican Republic, Garambura has made unprecedented strides in renewable energy investments, including wind, solar, hydropower and biomass energy, as we strive to distance ourselves from fossil fuels that are damaging our unique natural landscapes and biospheres. Garambura's renewable energy programs have seen our domestic energy access rate rise to 82% -- with access in urban areas over 90% -- over the last five years."

"But it is with the assistance of developed countries that we have managed to achieve such astounding results with our renewable energy programs. Developed countries must quickly realise that they have an invaluable part to play in the containment and ultimate reversal of climate change, through funding and technology sharing, and that developed states risk slumping into the eroding caveat of fossil fuel dependence without the help of their developed allies."

"That is all I wanted to say to introduce Garambura's upcoming role in this summit. I propose now by handing the floor over to the next speaker."

by **Tyrnica** » Sun Oct 25, 2020 6:22 am

Saima Eskola
President of the Täitevnõukogu

It was a pleasant day in Baiqiao. As Saima Eskola stepped out of the diminutive black sedan, she was enveloped — not with a sickly, choking smog, as she had anticipated, but instead with fresh air and the faint scent of roses. Coupled with the low, cordial hubbub of the arriving delegations, it proved to be a much more agreeable start to proceedings than she might have hoped for. Against the fervent protests of her itinerary advisers, she had arranged for her entourage to arrive a few minutes after the doors opened, and therefore after the arrival of the first guests. Eskola thought that having the liberty to gauge a room before entering it was one of life’s greatest advantages; even in meetings of the presidium, she frequently arrived later than might be expected of its chief officer. She started towards the Exhibition Centre — though without any undue haste — breathing as deeply as possible before entering the building. The flowers were a nice touch, she thought. It was a refreshing change of scenery; in Kirenia, the leaves were falling from the trees with reckless abandon, even when it had seemed they had so recently started flowering.

She nodded politely to the leader Xiaodongese escort, who directed her to the relevant seat before departing. Eskola could tolerate the government of the Auspicious Republic, certainly, but that was no assurance that they would tolerate her. Eskola sat down, inconspicuously stretching her back. It would not be at all appropriate for her to return to her hotel tonight, hobbling like some sort of crone. Bemusedly, she saw that she was seated almost directly opposite her Chistovodian and Dezevauni counterparts — if she was looking to say “hello”, she might as well jump up onto the table to do it. To her immediate right, though, sat the Kuthinan Premier; on her left, the Director of the International Trade Organisation. She had no qualms with Devakula or Giordàn, and — considering some of the other groups around the room — was quite grateful for her placement. Momentarily, her gaze shifted to where Wilton-Smyth and Carcaterra sat conversing with one another, and a small moue of distaste passed over her features. They would certainly make this event an interesting affair, she thought.

There were no great surprises in the opening speeches; typically, this was the tamest part, before national interests started to come into conflict with each other, and before those conflicts of interest set blood to boiling. Eskola found herself filing each of these into her mind, for later reference. Yuan Xiannian opened the summit with the self-congratulatory rhetoric that she had expected; to be fair to the Xiaodongese, though, hosting the event did afford them a degree of leeway when it came to patting oneself on the back. President Goga’s remarks were unremarkable, considering her country of origin; Director Fonesca’s introduction was interesting, if somewhat unfamiliar in its economic parlance — if only Padar had come instead, she thought. Saima made sure that she paid special attention to Monique Degar-Abdulrashid, when her turn came to speak. Jean Vallette, the Gaullican political behemoth, was no more; and everybody in the room knew it. Generally-speaking, Degar-Abdulrashid’s political affiliation meant that, in theoretical terms, Gaullican foreign policy would likely remain unchanged for the time being — in practice, however, all eyes were on the new President. When she sat down again, Eskola was impressed by her eloquence. She had sent a clear message to the room: she was not Vallette, but Monique Degar-Abdulrashid was still in charge of one of the most powerful countries in the world — and was qualified for the position, too.

As leaders rose and returned to their seats one by one, Eskola slowly pieced together the speeches within her mind, trying to analyse their effects and intentions. Just as she had expected, the Estmerish and Etrurian leaders had managed to rock the boat more than once in their opening statements. Together, their similar set of outlooks and ideals formed a formidable bloc — one with which Eskola suspected she would clash before the summit came to a close. Rwizikuru’s Tsuru Makere spoke concisely, but was plainly dedicated to representing his country and, by extension, developing nations as a whole. The Geatish Premier’s statement was similarly brief, but Eskola thought that he had much more on his mind than he was willing to say; while he was self-effacing, there was no possibility of discounting the Geats.

For Eskola, the most contentious of the introductory speeches was that of Adrian Rozak, in his capacity as the Minister-President of West Miersa. While she disagreed with Wilton-Smyth and Carcaterra, they at least had not had the audacity to invoke God as an excuse for a changing climate. Not for the first time, she lamented the absence of his East Miersan counterpart, though — as she had considered before — it was probably for the best. The Xiaodongese decision to seat everybody alphabetically could have reared its ugly head quite severely, if both the constituent parts of Miersa were in attendance. As much as the Federation’s ideals went hand-in-hand with those of their Narozalic sponsors, Eskola would vastly prefer an argument with Goga, simply in order to avoid any sort of interaction with Rozak.

Eskola could not form much of a substantive opinion on the Zorasani address; directly, Kirenia had no outstanding issues with the UZIR, though their bilateral relations were by no means cordial. It would be prudent to keep an eye on Farzad Akbari, she knew; an action from Zorasan could quickly alter the perspective of its ROSPO allies. It was difficult for her to read beyond the words offered by Senrian Prime Minister, who made few controversial comments in favour of supporting those who had already spoken. Naturally, the persons with whom she seemed to agree happened to be the ones with whom Saima herself did not agree; nonetheless, she was not certain as to precisely where Reika Okura fell on some of these issues, and how much of an obstacle she might prove to be in promoting Kirenian interests. Conversely, Saima found herself agreeing quite strongly with the Garamburan representative — after hearing Sikali’s testament in succession with Tsuru Makere’s earlier speech, she was interested to see how the presence of developing countries, particularly from Bahia, would affect the summit. Soon enough, though, the moment came for Eskola to make her own statement, and all of those thoughts and considerations were dismissed as she stood, and drew breath to speak.

“Good afternoon, everybody,” said Eskola, quickly glancing down at her bullet points. The page was neatly printed, with a clearly-defined margin. She had procured a fresh copy of the document, without all of the comments and footnotes she’d scribbled onto the speech during the flight; Saima had learnt long ago that she was distracted by her own notes, rather than assisted by them. It was far easier, she thought, to have everything set out with certainty, without allowing for tangents or contradictions. “Naturally, I must extend my utmost gratitude to Chairman Yuan and the Xiaodongese State Presidium for being so gracious as to host this year’s summit. The coordination of these affairs is, of course, not without its challenges — in such a trying year, it is especially commendable. It is also to all of you that I offer my thanks — I hope you will forgive me if I do not identify you all by name”, Eskola said, smiling genially. “Already, there have been a number of intriguing perspectives, and I look forward to discussing them with you all over the next three days.”

“Now, if I might speak frankly as to the issues at hand,” she said, “I think that it is worrying that the topic of ‘climate change’ is such a contentious issue amongst my fellow delegates and representatives.” Her eyes flitted quickly around the circle of assembled leaders, and she leaned forward slightly, splaying her fingers on the desk. “We must face the reality of the world changing around us — and it must be met with adequate force; not lacklustre posturing and inaction. To deny the cause of this situation is no different from declaring a determined and unyielding intent to actively ignore it, and that, I think, would be a very foolish endeavour.”

That was likely to ruffle some feathers, Saima thought, almost sensing the disapproval emanating from certain parts of the room. She was a firm believer in her own decision-making skills, and she had decided that It would be useless for her to try to appease everybody at this conference. Even the councilists, who harnessed the power of democracy and discourse for their own means, did not avoid stating what they wanted to achieve. “Therefore,” she said, “it is not a matter of if we should be acting to reduce our cumulative footprint on the world, but when — and, much more importantly, how. In Kirenia, we have already taken steps to introduce renewable sources of energy, but it is not the end of the road by any stretch of the imagination. Additionally, it is significant that the issue of climate change seems to be increasingly intertwined with developmental and economic imbalance around the world: that is one of the reasons that we have chosen to extend an invitation to our comrades from Masari.” Eskola nodded meaningfully to President Okonkwo, who sat a few seats to her left. “This summit should not be confined to the developed nations of the world; indeed, in order to attain a sustainable future for everyone, the voice of the entire planet should be heard in this room.”

“At the risk of repeating the statements of those honourable attendees that have already spoken, I must also offer my most humble condolences to the people of Tsabara — and bring those of the Täitevnõukogu and Kirenia at large, whose sentiment is just as sincere as my own. We must ensure that our summit is not wasted on pleasantries, however, and instead should work, collaboratively, towards finding a solution to this ongoing Crisis. Here, so far away from the Transtsabaran Federation, it is easy for us to forget why we have assembled today — it is for the people, the citizenry, the Tsabaran populace, who have suffered so terribly through this civil war.” Eskola straightened up, and took a deep breath before continuing. “It is not to satisfy our own interests in the matter. Tsabaran stability is, of course, invaluable for the stability of the Euclea-Coius trade; given its geographic position, that is unavoidable. However, I would argue that Tsabaran stability is much more vital to those who have been directly affected: to those who have lost homes, jobs, families, and to those whose lives will never be the same. I urge you all to keep them in your thoughts over the coming days — I know I will.”

“I appreciate your collective attention, and hope that the 2020 Baiqiao Summit is just as successful as we all hope it will be,” she said, inclining her head and resuming her seat in preparation for the remainder of the opening statements.

by **Azmara** » Sun Oct 25, 2020 7:36 am

Niina Hermansdohter
High Commissioner of the Euclean Community
Former Thingspeaker of the Commonwealth of Azmara (2008-2009)

Hermansdohter walked nervously into the magnificent Convention Centre, clutching a wad of papers detailing correct pronunciations and trying to ignore the buzzing of her phone in her pocket. She got the message. Of course the little Kesselbourg-specific phone network the 2013-dated phone was connected to would need her roaming charges. She didn't need twelve texts on the issue.

She was not looking forward to the summit in the slightest. Having to handle Euclean summits was enough of a nightmare as it was, with the arrogant manchild whose leadership made even more of a national embarrassment to Estmere day by day and the snake oil salesman determined to give as much ground to neo-functionalists as possible running Werania being ever present and influential. Not to mention their equally deranged Etrurian friend whom she had to deal with on an increasing number of occasions as the crisis in Tsabara drew their geopolitical aims in line.

While she appreciated the temporary alliance in trying to handle the situation, she could not help being somewhat worried about the willing collaboration between the two hard-right governments of member states and the Etrurians. The Estmerish government may be bleeding support, and Gaullica's conservatives may have spectacularly collapsed last year while her native country's hard right almost drove themselves out of parliament with their hardline anti-devolution rhetoric just a few months ago, the rise of the hard right in Eastern Euclea was very disturbing to her.

But all that seemed a drop in the ocean compared to this international summit. The constant cold war between the Xiaodong-Zorasan axis in ROSPO and the Senrian-led, EC-aligned COMSED was a minefield she was not looking forward to navigating. In fact, given the history between the two nations, with the brutal genocide of Senrians combined with Xiaodong's fervent denial, she was somewhat amazed that a summit in which the leader of Senria had come to Xiaodong had even been organised in the first place.

However, if there was one thing about this international summit she was relieved about, it was the lack of a need to act in accordance with electability. She did not need to pander to the Azmaran electorate anymore. Almost nobody turned up to the Euclean elections that would decide her future, and they certainly weren't voting based on whether they liked her personally. All the votes would be about national issues with a heavy dose of protest votes, and the ACDE and ELP would likely back up her government regardless of goings on. She had barely been electable in 2008, and without the tragic early death of Helmut Þurisassun and the destruction of the popularity of every other minister she had served with in the 1993-2005 governments, nobody would have ever even considered her a candidate.

However, she could not dwell on such issues for much longer. She had reached her podium. Next to her was her fellow EC leader, Alexis Walker of Caldia. Walker had always been a steady ally of Hermansdohter's; when they concurrently served as heads of government they had found it easy to get on despite Walker coming from her country's hegemonic centre-right and Hermansdohter coming from her country's hegemonic centre-left. She suspected the common experience of rising to the top of a patriarchal system did that, and in the time after their tenures she could find solace in Walker as she became increasingly baffled by her home country's political developments. While part of her found it inevitable, she had no idea what to make of both countries' recent trends towards left-wing populism.

The summit started. Mr Yuan went to great lengths to blow his own trumpet, but Hermansdohter couldn't really fault him for that. She would do the same if through some miracle the B15 was hosted in Azmara. He was followed by Narozalica's President, who gave a fairly typical response about eradicating poverty and how climate change shouldn't come at the expense of development, nothing people hadn't heard before. The director of GIFA and the new Gaullican President followed, but then the Etrurian President opened his mouth. This is where it all goes to shit. muttered Hermansdohter under her breath. His bullshit about climate change was echoed by Wilton-Smyth soon after, yet neither of them came close to the incendiary comments of the West Miersan leader. As a practising member of the Church of Azmara, the idea that climate change would be the punishment of God for the sins of man was deeply insulting, if not outright blasphemous to Hermansdohter; what happened to the idea of omnibenevolence?

At least the voices of Rwizikuru and Geatland provided some break from such lunacy. Two major world powers came next; Zorasan to badly hide their ambitions in Tsabara and downplay their role in climate change, then a fairly standard speech from Senria. Garambura came next, emphasising that the global south should not suffer. Kirenia came next; the socialist nation had surprisingly warm relations with a nation so wedded into the capitalist bloc as Azmara, to which the country's social-democratic governance and lack of international military presence was attributed.

It was then her turn to speak.

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to, as many have done before, thank His Excellency Yuan Xiannian for hosting this summit. I would not think it a controversial statement to say it is increasingly necessary for international co-operation in these times to address the issues we face. And thus I would like to extend thanks to those who have spoken before, especially to those prepared to work internationally to address these issues.

I would like to first address the issue of climate change. I would like to dispel the notion that there is not a scientific consensus on the issue; most, if maybe not all, scientists agree that the warming in the climate is as a direct result of human activity. It is not a convenient truth, but it is a truth that we have to face as a united world. Many points have been made on the issue; I would like to raise specific issue to the proposal of an international green energy fund that my esteemed colleague Mr. Raul Fonseca has made.

The points raised by him on the importance of both investing in green energy and the centrality of oil, coal and natural gas to many economies developed and developing ring true, as do the points raised by my esteemed colleagues in Garambura and Kirenia that the global south should not be expected to shoulder the financial burden of switching to renewable energy. However, the importance of economies of scale should be noted here; it is simply ludicrous to pretend that a nation of 500 million with an incredibly diversified country is actually a developing economy needing subsidisation to diversify away from oil and other fossil fuels.

Yet, as an Azmaran, coming from a nation with a historically important coal industry whose unmanaged decline of which has caused major long-term economic problems for us all, I know how difficult diversifying away can be even for a small economy, even one as developed as ours, and thus as long as the fund is spent wisely I think this is a great idea.

I would now like to address Tsabara. The issues in the nation are undoubtedly turning into a major humanitarian crisis. Many thousands and thousands of people are inevitably going to be displaced by this, and we as an international community desperately need to do something about the issue at hand. However, I feel many people believe in this fantasy that the EC has unlimited capacity to take in refugees from the crisis. Let me dispel that notion here and now: we do not. We do not have the space in our cities to house all of the refugees from this crisis. We do not have the infrastructure to accommodate all of the refugees. We do not have the economies to handle this influx in low-skilled, cheap labour when our existing low-skilled, low-cost labourers are already struggling to find employment.

It is thus vital that we treat this crisis properly internationally so that our EC countries are not brought to their knees by this crisis. We need to find a solution for this where the refugees are accommodated yet no country takes on more people than it can realistically handle. A refugee crisis is one that is the responsibility of the whole world, not just those countries that the refugees can easily reach through a boat ride across a channel and the exploitation of a free movement area.

by **Lunas Legion** » Sun Oct 25, 2020 7:57 am

Salil Balchandra
President of Ajahadya

Salil Balchandra was the only Satrian in the room. While not exactly an unusual occurrence at international conferences, it was still significant. He was the sole representative of the whole of Satria there, for all intents and purposes. Even the Bahians had more leaders present. That was how it should be, however. How it should have been, had their dream not been denied. He did not speak first, or second, or for a while thereafter; to speak early was to play one's hand, to reveal one's positions and stances. Far better to be quiet and wait, to listen like a tiger stalking prey.

It was somewhat of a surprise that despite the seating being alphabetically organised, which was a manner least likely to cause offense given the impartial nature of it, he had regardless ended up to Yuan Xiannian of Xiaodong's left, with Zorasan's Farzad Akbari two seats to his right. And at the head of the table no less. A happy accident of translation and Euclean naming. There was, however, the mild issue of what angle to take here. Some would have said that he should take an angle suited to the electorate; his term was up next year, after all, but those who said that fundamentally misunderstood Ajahadyan politics. Climate change was simply not on the agenda domestically from lack of awareness.

No, if he was going too take the electoral angle, it would be about presence and stances around the issues, not actually resolving them. An advantage, in some ways, even if there were future concerns due to the dependence of his country upon a singular river system to feed itself. Those would not likely be problems that could be resolved here and now, however.

He finally rose up to speak, quietly clearing his throat. Speaking had never been an art he was a master at, but it was one he could nonetheless perform.

"It is, as always, an honour to be present here, and I would thank Chairman Yuan personally for hosting and organising this event. I am not one for lengthy speeches or ideological diatribes, so I shall be brief and to the point."

An adequate enough opening. Now onto the meat of the speech. Tsabara would, quite simply, be ignored. It was not a matter that concerned Ajahadya insofar as it related to ROSPO as a collective, and simply backing that position when it came up would be enough.

"Rather than simply repeating the things my fellow leaders have said time and time again, I will say that the proposal of an international green energy fund, while having merit, does not go far enough. I will not consign the people of my country to live permanently below what those in Euclea have. To say that the developing world should not develop is little more than neo-colonial thought rearing its ugly head. Yet to say that it should only develop using green energy is to consign parts of it to eternal poverty. Solar power and wind power are not suitable everywhere, it is a simple fact of the world that the sun only shines for half the day, and the wind does not always blow. Such technology is also often vastly more expensive than the fossil fuel alternatives."

"If the developed world wishes to see genuine green development in the developing world to avoid further climate change, it should fund the construction of such infrastructure. Such infrastructure should not limit itself to pure renewables, but should extend itself to nuclear power. It does not rely on the fickle nature of the environment, nor does it produce carbon emissions. Any concerns with safety are largely limited to concerns from human error and external factors rather than any issues with the idea itself. Otherwise, without the provided subsidy, it is inevitable that the developing world should use the cheapest means to develop itself regardless of climate concerns, because that is the nature of the free market."

"In regards to Tsabara, I have nothing to say that has not already been said. The conflict must be brought to an end, but it must be brought to an end for good, in such a way that another does not flare up a year afterwards. Support should be provided to refugees fleeing the conflict, of course, but must be provided by those most able to pay for it."

by **Liecthenbourg** » Sun Oct 25, 2020 9:17 am

Viktor Martynenko
President of the Presidium and the Nation

Viktor glanced at his watch. He was early.

Time operated differently at diplomatic summits. The regimen of one's life was planned to precision. Breakfast at an allotted time and not a minute further lest it delay the rest of the events. Such an awakening in the morning set the tune for the rest of the day. But somehow, despite this, he had found himself with a few minutes to spare.

He was impeccably dressed, a fantastic black suit with a deep red tie. He carried it well; even in his old age he had kept a fitness plan from his days as a soldier. His height aided him too. He stood far taller, perhaps the tallest, of the soon to be assembling representatives. He was just shy of being two metres in height. For those who took personalities and persons, the 'big man theory', as integral in diplomacy these were assets.

He glanced at his watch again out of habit. He was still early.

The journey here had been comfortable, the company pleasant and the room to his expectations. The abode was well furnished, befitting of a man of his political stature, and the cuisine was to his liking. Not like the Xiaodongese food they served at home, no, far from it -- but as a bit of a 'foodie', the Chistovodian president was open to try new culinary experiences.

He entered the Conference Centre before he could glance at his watch a third time and was greeted by Yuan. The two were cordial, almost friends. They disagreed on a far host of issues ranging from the important to the personal; but they saw 'eye-to-eye' on the issues that "they held sacred". Martynenko and Yuan could find in each other a steadfast ally in critique of the global order of economics, but Martynenko could not stomach the man's war-crime denialism. But in diplomacy, especially when surrounded by states that wanted to see yours cast off of the continent, you didn't really push away a friend in Xiaodong.

Taking his seat he was elated to see the seating card to his left: Ganobiunu Moagameme of Dezevau. To his right would sit that Cassien oaf; the "neutral northerner" of Asteria Superior who was more than willing, in his eyes, to dance to the tune of Halland and Nuxica without actively getting his hands dirty. Typical Cassiens. The cold dulled their sense of honour and justice. With the Nuxicans on his mind his eyes wandered until they found Figueroa. A smile came to his lips as he saw that Functionalist bastard sat next to Narozalica. He had little love for the former coloniser of his country, but they had been steadfast friends over the issues pertaining to the DMZ that Chistovodia and Nuxica shared. Goga was no Czenko but Samistopol didn't actually practice democracy so as far as he was concerned she was his heir in all regards.

A hand was raised in a wave to Goga, before he gave a much more enthusiastic one to Eskola. He liked the Kirenian woman. She was easy to talk to, of no nonsense, committed to the ideals of the International Socialist. It was a shame that she was sat so far from he and Moagameme.

And speaking of the woman, as she approached, Martynenko stood up to give her the respect she deserved. They practiced the art of the socialist fraternal greeting: a deep embrace with three alternating kisses on the left and right cheeks of both participants. He would gently leave a hand on her back as she sat down first after which he did. Moagameme was a different breed of socialist warrior. From the 'developing world' as opposed to the developed, her experiences always came across as "more genuine". Much of the developing world were more willing to listen and take heed from Bazadavo than from Misto Myru or from the Volikogu.

He turned to her, his hands resting on the table, and spoke softly for only she to hear. "Are you ready for some complete and total horseshit relating to climate change, Ganobiunu?" The expression on his face betrayed annoyance. The exhalation betrayed the disappointment. And then Yuan began to speak. He could not help but turn to face the woman to his left, as if to say "see?" with a smirk.

The diplomatic pleasantries continued: Yuan to Goga to Fonseca to Degar-Abdulrashid, the new-comer, she who was cast in the shadow of Vallette, and so on and so forth. He would listen to the Gaullican woman to get his initial impressions of her, something he assumed most of the roomto be doing. He paid particularly close attention to Carcaterra and to Akbari, listening to the Functionalist ideologues prattle nonsensical drivel about the climate and Tsabara.

He would also pay the attention that Eskola deserved as she spoke, ensuring to amend his own terminology to reflect what she said. A strong showing from the AIS states was always welcome. Martynenko found his time to speak as Salil Balchandra finished his short, if not informative, speech.

Turning on his microphone and holding his notes against the table the Chistovodian President stood tall and proud, with a posture that conformed to public speaking and theatrics.

"I would like to thank Chairman Yuan for the hosting of this summit and for all those who spoke after him and who will speak after me. Let me remind you that the world is watching and counting on us to ensure a future for their grandchildren and their grandchildren's grandchildren.

I am going to dispel the fiction present here that there is a solution to climate change that involves one half of this planet and not the other. Despite my disagreements with GIFA on countless issues, the proposal from Mr. Fonseca mirrors what many of my friends from what we call the 'developing world' desire. There are no "us" and "them" in the matters of climate change. There is only "we", united in common cause against a situation that will rob us of a recognisable planet to call our own. I do not believe that this is a punishment from a God, nor do I view it as something we are helpless to stand against. This crisis is accelerated by the efforts of man and is thus ours to control. To deny that is an insult to the creativity and ingenuity of man.

There are those here with connections to companies that profit from the exploitation of natural resources. They are here to inform us that everything will be fine and that the market that created this mess will be here to save us. I am here to remind you that the market is indifferent to the suffering of the ordinary people.

Back to GIFA, this 'green development fund', echoed by our newest and youngest member President Degar-Abdulrashid, is a sensible approach that can be expanded. I also think President Balchandra discusses a truth; nuclear energy development should be involved in it as well. This fund that the developing world can use to build up green economic and energy infrastructure is vital and its funding should extend from the building to the training of peoples to maintain the systems built for them. To deny a culture and situation of dependency."

He stopped for a brief moment and watched the tension, if there was any, in the room, before he moved one paper of notes over for another.

"The 'Tsabaran Crisis' is not a surprise. It is not something we can stand with mouth agape and ponder how could this have happened. The cracks in the Transtsabaran Federation began with the destruction of what was colloquially called 'Council Tsabara', the left-wing regime that lifted -- since we are all boasting about poverty figures -- millions out of destitution. There are common factors at play with meddling in Tsabara's affairs and I am sure we are all willing enough to address these concerns here." Xiaodong and Zorasan were too close for the liking of Martynenko, but he couldn't be too friendly with the former -- not openly, not here and not yet. He had to play his cards one at a time. And pitting the world against several states in relation to Tsabara may help tip the balance of 'blocs' that these meetings often congregated around.

"I would like to remind everyone, again, that there are more than two sides in this 'Tsabaran Crisis' and that the democracy we will be seeing in the upcoming days will see participation from such parties like the Tsabaran Section of the Workers' International and numerous secessionist and separatist groups. The validity of these elections is of paramount importance, since we are all quick to accuse Acting-President Nazim al'Qutayni as being a dictator and forgetting the unconstitutional actions of his predecessor who was quick to label all ethnic groups traitors, and socialists as blights. Perhaps instead of suggesting that Tsabara is beholden to 'Euclean' or 'Coian' interests, we have to understand that Tsabara should be beholden to the interests of its people."

He assumed that was going to annoy people. Good.

"The Arucian is an issue I think we have touched upon briefly that should be brought up more. I speak for Maracao, of course. The devastating volcanic eruption on the island has seen destruction of an unthinkable magnitude. These will continue if climate change is not tackled. It is not an accident that we are at odds with our environment. We view it as something we can manipulate and destroy with no consequence. Because those of us who plan its destruction are best equipped to escape its consequences. When we discuss GIFA plans for green energy initiatives, we need more: we need disaster response and preparation plans. Why? Because we have already changed the climate. We must now be prepared to defend those who cannot defend themselves.

Thank you for listening."

The Chistovodian President sat down and reclined in his seat. He had said his piece for now.

by **Bhikkustan** » Mon Oct 26, 2020 2:08 am

The first thing that struck Mahmadou Jolleh-Bande upon his arrival in Xiaodong was the heat. It was not that the heat was too strong for the aged statesman, after all, he came from Mabifia and had lived through the deadly heat of the harmattan on the plains. No, this heat was wet and arid, muggy like the summers of the Ahirengeïe. Despite himself, Jolleh-Bande felt himself sweating under his white boubou. As fitting with his preferred modus operandi, he wore the traditional attire of Ndjarendie chiefs and headmen when representing the country abroad. It served two purposes, both a political message of cultural pride and Bahian nationalism, but also, in hotter climes like that of Xiaodong, it permitted some degree of respite from the heat. Jolleh-Bande shuddered, thinking of the plight of those poor Euclean statespeople having to brave a hotter climate than their home one all whilst wearing such warm garments. Thinking of his robes led his thoughts towards his friend Farzad Akbari, the perpetually friendly cleric from Zorasan. Mabifia enjoyed a close relationship with their northwestern neighbour, and Jolleh-Bande liked to imagine that this was in part his doing. He looked forward to seeing his friend again, and likely praying with him at some stage. It would be good to have at least one other good Irfanic leader present.

He was also excited to get the measure of the new Gaullicn leader, Degar-Abdulrashid. Despite the odd tension over "mass human rights abuses under the Jolleh-Bande regime", or whatever it was that the liberals moaned about, Mabifia and Gaullica were close partners and, while Jolleh-Bande was loathe to admit it, Mabifia relied heavily on Gaullican economic aid. This had always been a chain and ball which help back Jolleh-Bande's desire to pivot his nation more towards Zorasan and ROSPO, nations which he felt were more supportive of his vision for the country. I hope that she will be more malleable than her predecessor, he thought to himself, Valette was very determined to keep us under control. Perhaps if we seem to drift towards ROSPO here she will become desperate to swing us back and pay for it.

The drive from the airport was pleasant. Jolleh-Bande was given the last minute advice of his advisors, wrote down any final notes for what he would say to open the conference, and had a good look out at the city of Baiqiao. It was unlike anything in Mabifia, and while it was not his first time in the city he was impressed every time he visited. While it hosted millions of inhabitants just like Ainde, the city seemed to be moving forwards in time while Ainde, for lack of a better word, stagnated. There were no potholes in the roads, and urban planning advocated building up instead of building ever outwards. Jolleh-Bande was glad when the car arrived at its destination. The conference centre was bedecked with flowers, a universal symbol of beauty.

Jolleh-Bande exited the car and strode up to the main entrance. He shook hands with Yuan, the two leaders sharing a positive relationship even if Mabifia focused more of its attention on Zorasan than its erstwhile ally in the south, before looking at his placement. Neither showed much promise. Both leaned towards COMSED, even if Masari and Mabifia shared association with the Congress of Bahian States, and Jolleh-Bande hardly looked to either for small talk. He instead listened to the speeches of the other leaders, especially to those of the other Bahian states. As usual, the remarks made by the Garamburan leadership were agreeable, but Jolleh-Bande even found himself agreeing with those of Rwizikuru's Mutungamiri. When Martynenko finished his powder-keg-igniting speech, Jolleh-Bande stood to speak. He spoke in strongly accented Gaullican, feeling it was more suited to the meeting than his native Ndjarendie;

Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to take this moment to express my gratitude to his excellency State Chairman Yuan Xiannian for his hosting of this summit. The setting is immaculate and presents an auspicious sign for the conference, while the lodgings we have been granted are rather comfortable and befitting of the occasion. I would also place emphasis on the provisionment of tea at these table, for as we Ndjarendie say, tea is the river which feeds the lake of conversation. I would also thank those leaders who have already spoken, many important points have been raised from across the room.

Of the issues being discussed today, the one which is most pertinent to Mabifia is that of sustainable development and climate change. I would break this topic up into its constituent parts, in order to properly address its complexity.

I will start by acknowledging that climate change is real, man made, and a threat to all nations in the world. It is an issue which requires a global response. But it is a crisis which will affect each nation differently. In the case of Mabifia, we face the issue of desertification. As the Fersi desert encroaches more and more upon the Boual ka Bifie, livelihoods and food supplies are threatened. This has led to more violence between herders and agriculturalists, a major threat to the stability of our country. This is an issue which plagues many nations in Coius and which will require a multinational solution. When everyone in the compoud digs, the yams are quickly planted.

The second problem is sustainible development, and development in general. Mabifia is a large nation, with a young and hardworking population, and is blessed with immense natural wealth. Given these blessings, we should not be in the economic position we find ourselves in today, yet due to the predatory actions of the ancestors of some of those in this room we have found ourselves in a status where we must beg for a share of our product back from he who took it. We applaud the steps that some Euclean nations have taken in righting these historic wrongs, but must also recognise that more is needed in this area if we are to see true justice and equity. We applaud the suggestions of Monsieur Sikali, as these would go a long way in rectifying some of the problems faced by developing nations

However, what we must remember is that the largest barrier to development is that of security. Mabifia's mineral wealth remains underutilised largely due to the instability which has plagued several areas of the nation. We still face terrorism in the Makania region, something which has limited our ability to both expand our petrochemical exportations and increase overland transport and links with other nations, without even getting into the destructive effects of the civil war which decimated infrastructure across the country. With development, we do not want this to be an uneven playing field. We want Bahia, and the global south in general, to prosper thanks to its own strength. We cannot depend on outside economic help for our own prosperity. To this end, we would advocate for a radical reshuffling of aid and development efforts in conjunction with local authorities and bodies such as the Congress of Bahian States. Let's kill this love of simply throwing money at problems or giving us food without looking at the future. You all know the saying about teaching a man to fish, and it is highy applicable here. I also share the misgivings mentioned by Monsieur Balchandra towards green energies. While oil might be bad for the environment, many developing economies depend on it and we cannot expect these states to simply live in poverty because their exploiters got in first.

In regards to Tsabara, I have no new material to add apart from my sincerest prayers for my brothers and sisters who are struggling with war and adversity. It is a pain we know well and inchallah their situation will be eased soon.

by **The Holy Dominion of Inesea** » Tue Oct 27, 2020 7:47 am

May the Seonggol save us from this madness. These people, they think their God wishes this upon them? And so many of them with their “fuck you, I got mine” attitudes. How did we ever manage to establish any sort of global associations with codgers like Carcaterra at the helm of the great powers of Kylaris. That racist old fool probably thinks that every Coian who became a steelworker or automaker in the 20th century directly stole the job from the clutches of a lazy, fat, unionized Euclean.

The whole series of opening addresses had been, well, dizzying, for Hwa Hye-Su. As the Chairwoman of Council for Mutual Security and Development, she represented the interests of the free nations of Coius. In theory, she spoke for all nations of the Council, from mighty Senria to poor Dakata. In practice, it meant toeing whatever line Senria drew in the sand. And she was a Baean. Her government expected her to advocate for the interests of Baekjeong. In terms of security and defense, Baekjeong and Senria marched in lockstep. However, this conference was also about the environment, an issue where Baekjeong and Senria were out of synch. Two weeks past, leaders of the Senrian Energy Keiretu had accosted her at a dinner in Keisei. Members of the Siroyama, Takahasi, and Tiura had been in attendance and made clear time to talk to Hwa about the importance of fostering the private energy sector. To the outside observer, it merely looked like a social event. To Hwa, it was a reminder on whose interests needed promoting. Not one prior, Ayane Nisimura herself had paid Hwa a visit in her offices in Keisei. Again, she was reminded of her responsibility to “promote the interests of free Coius and punish the aggressor nation.” The specter of Senrian Oil loomed heavily over all her actions.

It seemed as if the conference was divided into three camps. The climate change blanket deniers from conservative Euclea embodied by Carcaterra and his ilk seemed to be in a minority. Unfortunately, there were enough of them to have some impact on the discussion. Well, unfortunately for the planet but not necessarily for COMSED. The Council of decades past would probably jump onto that train of thought, if only because it was the Senrian-approved economical option.

The second camp was the climate change is real and Euclea caused it. The aggressor nation and well, frankly, most of Coius was in this camp. So too was Baekjeong. The issue here was in how to define Euclea. To the nations of the Rongzhuo Strategic Organisation Protocol and their lackeys in the International Forum for Developing States, Senria was as Euclean as Estmere or Gaullica. Another imperialist lackey. This would, frankly, not due if any agreement is reached along the “Make Euclea Pay for it” line. If it appeared that the discussion was going towards this camp, Hwa would have to make efforts to separate COMSED from Euclea. She doubted she would still be Chairwoman next month if she allowed punitive carbon taxes on Senrian Keiretu.

The final camp was the climate change is real and we all are causing it and we all must struggle. Probably, at least to Hwa, the most accurate camp. Global development funds and sacrifices made all around. Simply unacceptable. Even the greenest Councilor or Assemblyman back home would balk at the idea that Baekjeong would have to make the same sacrifices as Euclea. Let alone how Senria would react.

As for Tsabara, that at least was an easy issue. COMSED could throw refugee money at the problem, without resettling any. Hell, perhaps we could even snipe the highest skilled for Dakata or something, they could benefit. Regardless, COMSED was neither near the crisis nor a causer of it. It was an opportunity for easy benefit. And with this crisis, there weren’t that many people breathing down her neck.
After Mahmadou finished his speech, Hwa took the opportunity to speak, in her native Baean though fluent in Gaullican she was.

“May the Heavens bless us all and our gracious host, Mr. Yuan. It is an honor to stand among you, leaders old and new, of the greatest nations on our planet. I will keep my pleasantries to that, as I am, what, the 17th person to speak today.”

Hwa smiled at the roundtable. She took a more amicable approach to Xiaodong than the Senrian Prime Minister had. Though not truly respectful, she had at least acknowledged Chairman Yuan and his nation as hosts.

“It is a fact, accepted by scientists from Rongzhuo to Keisei, from Ogbei to Verlois, that our climate is indeed changing. Some debate the cause of this change, be it from manmade emissions or the natural course of climate progression as seen since the ice ages of millennia past. What is undeniable is that our emissions, at the very least, exacerbate the problem. And what is undeniable is that we are feeling the effects of climate change. We are a global society, with some shared responsibilities to our fellow man under the Heavens. What I propose is akin to the GIFA proposal, but with a focus on mitigation of the effects of climate change. A fund paid for by the wealthiest nations of our planets, who through their own ingenuity and through the historical exploitation of Coius and the Asterias, stand atop the greatest material wealth the world has seen. A fund that could be used by nations most effects to enact immediate and lifesaving climate mitigation projects. Seawalls, dams, tree walls to prevent desertification. I am sure with voluntary contributions, we could make this fund a lifesaving reality.”

by **Xiaodong** » Tue Oct 27, 2020 2:45 pm

Otto von Hösslin
Chancellor of the Weranian Confederation

The Weranian Chancellor grimaced as he rode in the motorcade to the Li Zhaozheng Conference Centre. The humidity of southern Coius was unbearable, especially compared to the snow that currently covered Westbrucken back home. Still, at least the conference was being held in Baiqiao, the modern but still charmingly traditional of Xiaodong's metropolises. Von Hösslin had little desire to go to Rongzhuo, the hulking industrial heart of the country with its overly-spiced food and cold, bureaucratic character. The accommodation the Xiaodongese had arranged for him had been acceptable enough, if plain - albeit he was glad he had remembered to bring a knife and folk with him. Von Hösslin still had never gotten the hang of chopsticks despite his children's attempts to teach him.

A naturally quiet man, in the journey over he had been relatively content to listen to his advisers run-down on the leaders and the key points. He made a mental note to at least greet Walker, Wilton-Symth, Carcaterra and Okura prior to the summit. Those four would be vital in getting the free world in coordinating against the likely resistance from IFDS states and Kirenia, who for differing reasons represented what the Chancellor saw as extreme positions.

Von Hösslin straightened his tie as he exited the motorcade, flanked by Xiaodongese security guards. He noticed that he was amongst the later guests - typical Xiaodongese hospitality von Hösslin thought shaking his head. He curled his lip as he approached the Xiaodongese leader, Yuan Xiannian. A detestable despot whose jowls wobbled distractingly as he extended his hand towards von Hösslin. The Chancellor noted that whilst tall for a Xiao - a stunted people if he ever saw one - he was still dwarfed by von Hösslin's towering frame. Von Hösslin barely cracked a smile as he gripped Yuan's hand, making a noncommittal greeting in Gaullican. Yuan responded in kind and led him through to the conference room.

Von Hösslin looked at where he was sat, between Senria's Okura and Zorasan's Akbari. The first he had no qualms with - Okura was a strong and confident women who like most of her countrymen were unafraid to stand up both against the Xiao's and the international "woke" left. The second he was less so. Zorasan may be the state that most threatened Euclean civilisation with its deliberate strategy of engineering a Tsabaran refugee crisis, essentially weaponising a whole country of young men with no respect for Euclean culture to destroy Euclea from within. Akbari at least was more tolerable then the dour military men who ran the country.

As he approached his chair von Hösslin noticed that whilst Akbari was already sat, leaning in with Ajahadyan president Balchandra as the pair shared a joke, Okura was nowhere to be seen. He noticed too Carcaterra and Wilton-Symth were also missing. Von Hösslin leaned over to the spry Martin Allaire, sat two seats over and spoke in silted Gaullican,

"Where is the Senrian and Estmerish delegations? They're a little late, aren't they?"

Allaire shook his head. "If the Xiao don't like you, they'll make it known. They've probably been cooped up in some inferior lodgings and had their lives made harder for them. To send a message I suppose".

Von Hösslin leaned back, enraged. He knew the Xiaodongese carried a chip on their shoulder for being the supposedly "great" civilisation brought down by "barbarians", but didn't expect them to act so petty, so childish. If there was anything to set the conference on a wrong note it was that. He perked up when he saw the three of them shunter in one by one as the meeting was beginning to start, waving as both Wilton-Symth and Carcaterra whilst sharing a quick handshake and greeting as Okura hurried to her seat.

The speeches were a mixture of the sensible - Wilton-Smyth especially talked sense over climate change, with an appeal to proper market economies, whilst Carcaterra summed up why climate alarmism was just as dangerous as change itself -, to the milquetoast - Rwizikuru's, Geatland's and Garambura's added little to the conversation (why were there so many irrelevant countries, the Chancellor wondered) - to the asinine. The communist ravings of Eskola and Martynenko were the usual mixture of pie-in-the-sky economics (whose going to pay for it exactly?) nonsense about "equality" and revisionism over the wholly destructive legacy of socialism, in this case surrounding Tsabara.

As the diplomatic speech of Director Hwa ended von Hösslin rose to make his;

"I would like to start this speech by thanking our guests on including two important topics for discussion. Whilst the world is suffering from many problems at the moment the two topics chosen for today do have an impact on our daily lives, and Werania believes we need to be all hands on deck if we are going to solve the worlds problems properly and promptly.

The first I wish to address is the dreadful situation in Tsabara. We must accept that the actions of some states in this room have been responsible for the current destabilisation of Tsabara, despite their claims to the otherwise and finger pointing at the government in Adunis." Von Hösslin caught from the corner of his eye a look of discomfort on Akbari's face and of barely concealed rage on Yuan's, a fact that made the Chancellor almost chuckle.

"Nevertheless, the Weranian government believes that for the stability of Tsabara we must work to ensure that the unity government of Nazim al-Qutayni can continue its mandate. But the crisis is not just about supporting the stability of the Tsabaran government. The massive refugee flows that are pouring out of Tsabara represent a pertinent economic and social crisis for nations in northern Coius and southern Euclea. It is the Weranian government's belief that such refugee waves must be stopped as soon as possible or that such refugees are able to find safe haven in neighbouring countries.

The head of the GIFA mentioned quite rightly in his speech fiscal responsibility and the need for profligate governments to tighten the belt, something the Weranian government backs wholeheartedly. However, if massive refugee flows go into Euclea then it threatens both our social stability but also our economies, particularly social security systems. If to much pressure is put on Euclean countries in this regard we risk slipping into fiscal insolvency due to the added burdens to the welfare state, a nightmare scenario for the world economy. As such, for the good of the global economy as well as for Tsabaran refugees we must find ways to have these refugees find safety, but not in a way that threatens the social and economic systems of neighbouring states.

As for climate change, the Weranian government has sometimes been accused on being climate change denialists. Let me be clear - the Weranian government accepts that the climate is changing. That is because the climate has been changing for millions of years. Now, if the question is if whether mankind has a role in doing it the Weranian government simply believes that the science has not been figured out yet and that the alarmism of having to cut emissions drastically is both scientifically dubious and economically unsustainable.

The Weranian government does believe that sustainable development is a problem however, particularly for environmental reasons. The environmental destruction we are seeing particularly in southern Coius over habitat destruction and invasive urbanisation is totally alien to the kind of measured, sustainable development that Euclea and Asteria Superior have undertaken in the past century. The Weranian government believe that rather then invest in costly and environmentally dubious policies like a green fund we should instead as a global community be implementing stricter policies particularly in danger regions in southern Coius on development practices as well as support fossil fuel companies in shifting towards environmentally friendly ways to extract oil and gas. The proposal to expand nuclear energy should also be considered in that aim.

Thank you for listening, and we hope to discuss these issues further.

by **The Kingdom of Glitter** » Tue Oct 27, 2020 3:02 pm

Alexis Walker
President of the Euclean Community

"Stability" Walker began. "Stability must be our unified focus. It is together that we can tackle the major issues we face. Whether it be preventing a humanitarian crisis or preserving our planet for future generations, concord between nations and the stability that provides must be secured".

The first topic was one in which the Community found itself mostly in agreement on. Attempts to prevent intervention failed in January when sectarian violence caused peace talks to collapse. For better or worse, the Community entangled itself in Tsabara's internal conflict.

"We must work together to ensure that the conflict in Tsabara is resolved, and it must be resolved quickly. This is, perhaps, the greatest humanitarian crisis in generations. The internationally recognized government must be allowed to carry out its duties and conduct free and fair elections. Efforts to further destabilize the recognized government threaten to send millions across the world's busiest waterways. My heart aches at the prospect of dead mothers and babes washing up on our shores because we failed to secure a peace for them. We must exhaust all available options in order to prevent an all out humanitarian disaster".

The Euclean President transitioned to climate change, a topic with less accord.

"Climate change is one of the greatest threats we face. If we want to leave behind a planet for our grandchildren and our grandchildren's children, we must act urgently. We are the stewards of this planet, and we are responsible for preserving its wonders. International cooperation and financing to transition developed and developing nations alike away from fossil fuels must be our ultimate goal. The Community is prepared to engage in a serious dialogue on incentivizing the switch to renewable energy in targeted economies".

Walker paused before concluding her remarks.

"I thank you all for your time and look forward to days of fruitful discussion".

by **Navack** » Wed Oct 28, 2020 5:37 pm

Werner Okonkwo
President of the Democratic Republic of Masari

Werner Okonkwo walked into the convention center accompanied by a couple of Xiaodongese guards who walked him inside. He felt nervous, but he told himself that it was just another political reunion as the many he has attended in his six years of presidency. He stood by the entrance of the meeting room, looking around and checking on everyone who walked by. He spotted a few of the most important world leaders walk by; he noticed very few people were or resemble being from the global south, the most underdeveloped region in the world. He felt a little discomfort as if he felt unrepresented and overnumbered by the elite of the world.

At the same moment, the person he was waiting for appeared. Saima Eskola, President of the Presidium from Kirenia, the person who invited Okonkwo to the summit, walked by and noticed his presence.

“Mr. President, what an honor to see you here,” she said in a perfect Weranian accent

“President Eskola! I’m delight by meeting you here!” he responded also in Weranian. “I have been waiting for you to pass by to thank you for the invitation and the chance to represent my nation in this assembly.”

“No, thank you for agreeing to advocate for the issues we spoke about earlier. Your collaboration is extremely important as one of the main growing economies in Bahia.”

“I am glad to help, President Eskola. Always let me know if I and my country can serve you somehow.”

“See you inside, President Okonkwo.” She walked away to greet other representatives from other places.

Okonkwo thought about finding the representatives of Mabifia, Rwizikuru, and Garambura, old friends from the Congress of Bahian States. Unfortunately, it was too late as all the representatives walked inside the meeting room.

The room was organized in a circle, with multiple flags scattered all around. He spotted a few—he saw the Xiaodongese flag and its fierce dragon flying on the top hoist side of it. Somewhere else, he saw the West Miersan flag, perhaps his favorite; the simplicity of its background fronted by the white eagle just gave the flag a special flare to it. Right to the left of the Miersan flag stood the Masahari flag. He then followed to sit between Adrian Rozak, and Mahmadou Jolleh-Bande, Mabifian leader, and his friend.

Following Jolleh-Bande’s opening speech, President Okonkwo stood up from his chair to greet the participants and introduce himself:

“Good afternoon, my dear colleagues. I would like to thank all of you who made your way to this amazing city today to discuss such important topics. I would also like to thank Mr. Yuan for hosting us in your home. I would like to especially welcome my dear Bahian friends who made this summit with the noble role of representing the global south of our world.
After hearing so many representatives talking about assisting underdeveloped countries in their intentions, I see how many here are lenient when choosing such words; I see very few representatives of the global south, which makes me wonder if we are doing what we preach. On this note, I would like to thank President Eskola, for inviting me and the whole Masahari community to this global summit. She is a person that truly seems to worry about the more disadvantaged nations in the world. To my Bahian peers, I am glad to see all of you here. Representing our beloved homeland is important since only we know what it's like to grow up in the wonders of the crib of humanity.

I want to first stress my worry about the environment and the development of poorer countries. Ladies and gentlemen, I come from a place where nature is lush and stunning, but a place where people struggle to eat and find shelter. I cannot, however, strive for development while neglecting the environment. If a nation develops while looking over nature, that country is a failed state to me. Let us study all the options of clean energy and the non-aggressive development of the industry.

Lastly, I would like to relate to the honest Tsabaran people who are suffering at the hands of a group of religious fanatics. I grew up, ladies and gentlemen, in a place in Masari that suffers from those same fanatics, sadly. I have seen things that few should, and for that matter, Masari will side with Euclea and the Tsabaran people on this issue.
Thank you all for your appreciated attention.”

by **Montecara** » Fri Oct 30, 2020 4:26 pm

Domenica Giordàn, Director of the International Trade Organization

Esteemed delegates, my name is Domenica Giordàn, and I have the honor to serve as the Director of the International Trade Organization. The ITO is the world's only international organization devoted solely to the protection and promotion of international trade. As we all know, trade is the lifeblood of the global economy. It can and does lift millions out of poverty, provide food for the world's hungry, distribute the advantages of development, and promote peace among nations. Without a healthy and open trade, our modern world would not be possible. What this means is that we must do whatever is necessary to protect and preserve world trade, because the consequences of failing to do so are starvation and misery for the billions who rely on it.

Worryingly, the principle of free and equal trading rights is today more imperiled than it has been since the end of the Great War eighty-five years ago. The upswell in isolationism, extreme forms of populism, and aggression that we have all seen in recent years is a dark omen for all who value the peace and prosperity that can only flourish when the world's great economies are intertwined. If current trends continue, we may awake to a day when a farmer in Mabifia falls back into poverty because he cannot sell his goods on the global market, when a nurse in Maracao cannot take a job abroad that she is qualified for and contribute to another nation's health because of protectionist immigration restrictions, when a factory worker finds himself out of a job and unable to support his elderly parents because high tariffs have made the products he makes unaffordable. Politicians thinking in the short term might applaud the loss of foreign jobs, thinking that their neighbor's loss is their people's gain. Such thinking is wrong now, as it has always been. Trade is not—the world economy is not—a zero-sum game. Either we all win or we all lose.

It is not only misguided economic policy that is responsible for the situation in which we find ourselves. The economic consequences of the refugee crisis have already become global in scale. Witness, for instance, the worsening situation in the Aurean Straits, the world's most heavily traveled shipping route. In 2017, 92,000 ships transited the Straits, an average of approximately one ship every six minutes, day and night, year-round. It is not difficult to understand the impact that even a few refugee boats could cause in such a context; indeed, migrant vessels attempting to make the crossing from Tsabara to Montecara and the Euclean mainland have disrupted shipping on no fewer than 200 occasions this year alone. Every time a container ship or oil tanker is delayed in the Straits, the economic losses reach into the millions of euclos, with knock-on effects that imperil critical supply chains and impair the ability of governments to collect tax and tariff income.

I must also stress that this is a matter grave of concern for the welfare of migrants. They are placed at risk not only by the inherently dangerous act of crossing open water on overcrowded and dilapidated boats but also by the fact that they are in worryingly close proximity to the world's largest ships while doing so. The people smugglers who operate these makeshift vessels do so without concern for their human cargo, and in many documented cases have even intentionally sunk their craft in an attempt to force rescuers to take their passengers to safety in Euclea. These boats operate for the profit of smugglers, not for the protection of migrant lives. It does not serve the interests or protect the rights of refugees or migrants to allow dangerous, uncoordinated, exploitative boat traffic in the Aurean Straits. On behalf of the ITO, I strongly urge all the nations in attendance to develop and execute a multilateral plan for securing this essential waterway and for taking responsibility for the welfare of the migrants who have been forced into such an impossible situation.

The world does not have to slip into the darkness of a paranoid nationalism that has blinded itself to the hard-won lesson of the twentieth century, that we are all equal in our dignity and worth as human beings. The seas should bear the fruits of commerce, not the contrivances of war. The people in this room have the power and the duty to vanquish poverty and its dark companions, hunger and disease, war and strife. Let us commit here to securing for our world and our children a future of light and life. Thank you.

by **Xiaodong** » Wed Nov 18, 2020 4:22 pm

Yuan curled his lip as the final delegates made their speeches to the conference. It seemed that on the climate issue a series bizarre coalitions had formed - a collection of developing states acknowledging the issue and wishing to cooperate with likeminded Euclean states counterbalanced with climate-sceptical developed nations attempting to push costs on developing states; and developing states arguing for the opposite policy. Of course, this was beneficial for Yuan given that a deadlock on climate would inevitably be blamed on the denialists such as Von Hoesslin, Wilton-Smyth or Carcaterra and allow for continued economic development for Xiaodong and its allies without conditional climate restrictions.

On Tsabara, most simply reiterated tired points about supporting the current government. A disappointing stance all things considered. Did these morons really think that the current government held any legitimacy, coming off the back of a blatantly fraudulent election? Yuan shook his head at the thought. Clearly he was going to have to tighten the scrutiny on the Tsabara issue.

Raising from his chair, Yuan spoke again;

"Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for your opening remarks. Although there is division in the room I hope we can as a global community find that our points of disagreement outlined here today can be mediated and that we can come to an agreement all of us can accept as satisfactory for us.

It seems the issue we have most disagreement regarding is that of the environment. Some seek to unload the costs of transitioning to more sustainable energy sources to developing states, or to strangle current development policies on environmental grounds. This is unacceptable to us in the developing world and economically unfeasible. Similarly, there are some assigning equal responsibility for current carbon emissions to the global north and south. This is also nonsense".

"If we are to tackle climate change we must accept that it is the responsibility of the global north to financially bear the costs as they have the means to do so at the present time. It also must be the case that an inclusive approach to the issue is developed. The GIFA has talked about an investment back for sustainable energy transition, but the question must be asked what - as a subsidiary to the ICD - conditions with the GIFA impose on nations to use it? The same failed liberal development policies that have only led to a rise in inequality and asset stripping on a continental scale by Euclean and Senrian vulture firms? If a climate investment bank is to be created it must meet two criteria - an inclusive approach to loans that primarily take into account emission reduction rather then enforced liberalisation and one that contains the voice of all people's of the planet, not just those of the ICD."

2020 Baiqiao Summit (Kylaris, IC)

2020 Baiqiao Summit (Kylaris, IC)

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