Reichsburg Free Trade Agreement

[Allanea]

Official Message from the Free Kingdom Ministry of Foreign Affairs

We welcome your nation into the Reichsburg Free Trade Agreement. Because Allanea now has 100 trade partners in RFTA, a party is being scheduled at the Free Kingdom Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and all RFTA members are invited to attend it!

[Allanea]

Liberty-City, Free Kingdom Ministry of Foreign Affairs

”The Excalbians.” – the advisor’s voice was soft and polite.

“What of the Excalbians, Moammar?” – Maverick Monningham, the Minister of foreign Affairs, was calm, yet curious. – “They seem to have vanished from sight quite a while ago.”

“Yes, Sir, but that is in fact my message. The Excalbians have made a return.”

“Huh. We will need to look into that. They’re quite fine as a culture, and I remember that they have done well against the Iesians, which is more than can be said about some.” – Maverick said. “We should extent to them a hand of welcome. We could well afford it, and it is likely to pay us back.”

“How would you wish to word it, Sir?”

“Ah, that’s the question, Moammar.” – said Maverick, and then raised his head slightly. “Athena,” he said , activating the supercomputer that had but recently been installed within the Ministry building. It worked on a variety of bureaucratic functions for the Ministry – and also some mundane ones. “Dictation software.”

“Dictation software activated, Minister.”|

To: His Imperial Majesty, David IV, Lord of Valmiera, Grand Duke of Saulcrasti, King in the Citadel, Defender of the Faith and Temporal Head of the Church of Excalbia, Guardian of the Upper and Lower Lands, Heir of the Sword of Alsgood, by the Grace of God Emperor of Excalbia
From: Maverick Monningham, Free Kingdom Minister of Foreign Affairs, on behalf of Their Imperial Majesties, Alexander and Cassiopeia Blaken-Kazansky.

Your Imperial Majesties!

I welcome your Empire’s re-emergence among the nations of the world, and, on behalf of Their Imperial Majesties and the people of the Free Kingdom of Allanea, I send you my greetings and salutations. Attached with this missive you will find a decorative edition of the Odyssey, which we find an appropriate gift to those who have vanished, and then returned. Its binding has been worked upon by jewelers, and has been fashioned from shark-skin, rubies, and pearls. We hope that this is seen as an appropriate gift, and an expression of good will by our government.

We furthermore invite the Holy Empire of Excalbia to enter into the Reichsburg Free Trade Agreement, which is one of the most prominent trade agreements known to us, and in which over a hundred nations are now members. We believe that to do so will improve the economic condition of the Holy Empire after its long absence on the world stage, and will allow us to form a first step towards better relations with each other.

Yours,
Maverick.

[Amortroph]

Signed

[Excalbia]

Ministry of State, Citadel Excalbia

Every Minister tended to redecorate the ministerial office atop the Arte Nouveau confection that was the Old State Building to fit their personal character. Under Sir Albert Cummings, the office was full of wood paneling, leather chairs and smelled of cigar smoke. Under Lady Sarah Harrington and Sir Sterling Wentworth it was understated in pastel colors and period furniture. The current occupant preferred bold colors and sleek, modern lines that reflected her personal style-forward approach.

And so, Deputy Minister Sir Adam Taurin and Lady Allison Bluger, the Director-General for Allanean Affairs, found themselves sitting in chrome finished upholstered chairs around glass-topped coffee table that doubled as a computer display in front of an unlit fireplace watching the Minister, Lady Christina Freedman, tap her impeccably manicured nails on the metallic arm of her chair.

“Intriguing and unexpected,” Lady Christina said softly. Both Sir Adam and Lady Allison nodded. “Allanea has always been a bit of an enigma to us. Its influence is undoubtable. Its stated policies should make it a friendly nation and our past dealings have been… mostly acceptable.”

“Yet,” Sir Adam chimed in, leaning forward slightly, “Allanea has often provoked… great anxiety on the part of some of our closest allies.”

“Yes,” Lady Allison began, “however, we are discussing trade here, not military alliances or basing rights.”

Lady Christina winced at the memory of the furor surrounding the granting of Allanea basing rights during the Iesian War. Like almost everything associated with war, that, too, had ended in a fair amount of acrimony.

The Minister steepled her fingers in front of her face. “Very well,” she said at last.

Ministry of State
Holy Empire of Excalbia
Citadel Excalbia

Your Excellency,

On behalf of His Imperial Majesty, allow me to express our sincere gratitude for your warm salutations and for the gift that accompanied your message. The volume has made an outstanding addition to the Rare and Special Collections of the Imperial State Library. His Imperial Majesty was most pleased.

As regards the Reichsburg Free Trade Agreement, His Imperial Majesty appreciates your kind invitation to sign the agreement. While the Holy Empire has always believed in the efficacy of free trade and while we do not reject the possibility of acceding to the RFTA, there are questions that need to be addressed before joining a multilateral agreement, especially one that would obligate the Holy Empire to many states with whom it has no diplomatic relations. In addition, His Imperial Majesty’s preference in recent years has been for bilateral agreements over multilateral accords.

In order to discuss these matters further, in the absence of ambassadors in each other’s countries, I would like to invite you, or your representative, to visit Citadel Excalbia at your convenience for discussions and an exchange of ideas. It would be our honour to accommodate you or your representative at one our State Guest Houses here at the Ministry complex.

I look forward to receiving you or your representative shortly. Please be assured of our highest regards and continued respect.

Sincerely,
Lady Christina Freedman
Minister of State

His Excellency
Maverick Monningham
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Free Kingdom of Allanea

[Gozordia]

well this is interesting

[Allanea]

Liberty-City, Free Kingdom Ministry of Foreign Affairs

“We have an interesting problem.” – Maverick Monningham mused. “They are inviting us to negotiate.”

“This puts us under a significant difficult,” – said Moammar. “They understand surely that we cannot alter the conditions of a treaty that had already been signed by over a hundred countries.”

“They understand this, the Excalbians are extremely shrewd,” – Maverick said, “Therefore they understand the very limitations we are laboring under. However it does not hurt us to see what they want. We are working very cautiously with their neighbors – we should also work as cautiously with them as well. As an export market for our goods, as an importer of its own, Excalbia would be extremely valuable.”

“You do not need to sell me on the advantages of international trade, Minister Monningham,” – said Moammar with a smile. “The only question is, what is it that they’re likely to ask for?”

“It appears that there is only one way to find out,” – Maverick said.[/align]

* * *

To: Christina Freedman, Minister of State
From: Maverick Monningham, Free Kingdom Minister of Foreign Affairs, on behalf of Their Imperial Majesties, Alexander and Cassiopeia Blaken-Kazansky.

Your Excellency!

I am happy to see that our gift was accepted in the sense in which it was meant, which is a genuine offer of welcome to your civilization’s return to the world’s stage. Given the importance of Excalbia in world affairs, I will attend the meeting personally, by virtue of an airliner on loan from the Ministry of Defense. The usual security arrangements are being made.

I should state here, that the Free Kingdom’s preference is in fact for multilateral efforts, although of course we will be willing to look into your objections, and provide clarifications as much as possible. In recent years, the Free Kingdom has operated diplomatically under the aegis of multiple multilateral efforts (most famously Greater Prussia, but more importantly, several multilateral efforts that were not led by us, such as the Castlegate Declaration, the Amistad Declaration on Slavery and the Rights of Man, and several others). We believe that doing so creates added legitimacy for our work on the international stage.

However, I understand the difficulty a country has with joining a multilateral effort. A bilateral alliance can be easily renegotiated at any time (or at least, conceptually it can), requiring merely the agreement of the other alliance partner. A multilateral organization is very difficult to renegotiate at the best of times, often leaving a country with the choice of either abandoning the organization altogether, or accepting some condition that is seen as running counter to its interests, or perhaps even offensive to some segment of its population.

I believe everyone would be best served if I provided additional clarifications about the RFTA, its goals and limitations, in person.

Yours,
Maverick.

[Senelux]

The Administrator of Finance and the government of Senelux, have accepted the terms of the RFTA and have signed the agreement.

"As long as it benefits my position, my boss and my country. This agreement is signed."
- Administrator of Finance

[The Ruins of Southern New Boston]

I'll sign as a representative of my nation, we'll do our best (luckily we have no exports and thus no imports, so making sure we follow this is a problem for another day).

[Allanea]

I'll sign as a representative of my nation, we'll do our best (luckily we have no exports and thus no imports, so making sure we follow this is a problem for another day).

Due to your nation's mass-murderous eugenics program, your application is rejected.

[Allanea]

The Administrator of Finance and the government of Senelux, have accepted the terms of the RFTA and have signed the agreement.

"As long as it benefits my position, my boss and my country. This agreement is signed."
- Administrator of Finance

Welcome to the Nationstates Multiverse, and welcome to the RFTA.

[Aetherys]

The Republic of Aetherys would like to sign this agreement.

[The Tribes of greater somaliland]

The tribes of greater somaliland offer their ink as a signatory

[Excalbia]

Ministry of State, Citadel Excalbia

Elsa Igualina tried to stand stoically in the Great Reception Hall of the Ministry of State without betraying her nervousness. On some level she could not help but to feel “small” beneath the two-story statues of Commerce, Peace, Justice and Knowledge that rose up from the tiled floor to support the ceiling and its relief map of the world. She also felt a little intimidated as a junior diplomatic officer to be receiving a visiting Foreign Minister. Of course, the Minister had already been met at the airport by her boss, Lady Allison Bluger, the Director-General for Allanean Affairs, and Elsa’s job was only to escort the Allanean Foreign Minister to the Minister of State’s office on the 8th floor. Yet, it was still the biggest moment of Elsa’s young career, although she was working hard not to show it.

In the midst of her thoughts, Elsa noticed commotion outside the glass doors and moved towards them just in time to see the police escort for Minister Monningham’s motorcade arriving in the covered driveway of the Ministry. Uniformed Diplomatic Security guards stood at attention and saluted as the car carrying the Minister and Lady Allison rolled towards the red carpet.

Elsa walked through the door and stood at the end of the carpet, ready to received the Allanean Minister.

[Allanea]

The Minister of Foreign Affairs was dressed in a grey suit that was nearly immaculate, except for the absence of a tie. A Foreign Service dagger – almost entirely ceremonial, its sheath dark-blue and gold – hung at his side, and he smiled as he entered the Ministry of State building. “Good morning, Madam,” – he said to Elsa, “I hope that you were not held waiting for me for very long.”

[Berenpleed]

Reichsburg Free Trade Agreement is accepted by the Supreme Leader of Berenpleed.

[The Silver Serpents]

Free Trade is surely to benefit all, Agreed Consider this Signed!

[Allanea]

Official Message from the Free Kingdom Ministry of Foreign Affairs

We welcome your new nations both into the world community, and into the Reichsburg Free Trade Agreement. We hope to see your imports in Allanea soon!

[Crinti Marshlands]

I Taos Adama sign the RFTA in the name of Crinti Marshlands

[Chizaz]

I'll sign.

[Excalbia]

The Minister of Foreign Affairs was dressed in a grey suit that was nearly immaculate, except for the absence of a tie. A Foreign Service dagger – almost entirely ceremonial, its sheath dark-blue and gold – hung at his side, and he smiled as he entered the Ministry of State building. “Good morning, Madam,” – he said to Elsa, “I hope that you were not held waiting for me for very long.”

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Citadel Excalbia

Elsa Igualina bowed as the Allanean Foreign Minister approached. “Good morning, Your Excellency,” she said sounding far more confident than she felt, “welcome to the Ministry of State.” She rose and gestured passed the saluting Diplomatic Security guards towards the open glass doors of the Ministry. “If you would follow me, I will show to the Minister’s office.”

Elsa led Monningham through the grand lobby of the Ministry, beneath its tower statues and down a corridor filled with the flags of the nations having diplomatic relations with the Holy Empire. They arrived in a second small lobby where an elevator was waiting for them. Elsa ushered the Minister into the elevator and pushed the button for the 8th floor.

The top floor of the Ministry, like the rest of the original 19th century building, was decorated in the Arte Nouveau style. The walls were mostly blue tiles with yellow trim. Reliefs along the top of walls illustrated moments from Excalbian history. The hallway from the elevator led to a small lobby. Smaller versions of the statues of Knowledge, Peace, Justice and Commerce represented as classic goddesses draped in flowing robes and holding symbols of their identity - a book for Knowledge, an olive branch for Peace, scales for Justice, and a sheath of wheat and an industrial cog for Commerce - stood at the four corners beneath a fanciful map of the Western Atlantic. Between two of the statues were the open doors of the Minister’s Suite.

Lady Allison Bluger, Director-General for Allanean Affairs stood at the doorway. She bowed slightly as Elsa and Minister approached. “Good morning, Your Excellency,” Lady Allison said. “It’s a pleasure.” She gestured to another door on the other side of the desks and cubicles that filled the outer office. “The Minister is ready to receive you.”

Lady Allison led the way to the double wooden doors, knocked once, then opened them and stepped through.

The Minister of State rose from her desk, removed her glasses and laid them on the blotter. Lady Christina Freedman, though well into her fifties, was an attractive woman dress in a pale red suit with a skirt that fell just above the knees and whose perfectly manicured nails, precisely coiffed hair and elegant yet understated makeup gave the impression of someone prepared for a television appearance rather than a business meeting. She stepped around the desk and approached Monningham with her hand extended. “Good morning, Minister Monningham,” she said in smooth, silky voice. “It’s a pleasure to meet you at last.” She gestured towards the unlit ceramic tiled fireplace and the sofa and chairs in front of it. “Please have a seat,” she said as she approached her own chair beside the fireplace. “Would you care for some coffee or something else to drink?”

Taking her seat and crossing her legs, she continued. “I am anxious to hear about the RFTA.”

[Allanea]

“Greetings, madam,” – said Maverick, “I’m pleased to meet you. “ – he did not seem surprised at all about the fact that he was asked to immediately launch into an explanation, and indeed seemed entirely comfortrable with this notion.

“So if we review, the Reichsburg Free Trade Agreement is in a sense both more, and less, than a conventional free trade agreement. As we know, a conventional free trade agreement is typically a ten-thousand-page book of rules and regulations, which are designed to avoid attempts by signatories to ‘cheat’, if you will, the principles of the free trade, by subsidizing their own trade, or by introducing some regulation that would benefit their own trade. So in a sense, the Reichsburg Free Trade Agreement is less than this, because it does not claim to address this broad bevy of potential issue that may arise.”

The man paused momentarily as he looked over the art pieces spread over the magnificent and yet tasteful Excalbian office, and then continued. “It truly addressed only two issues, namely it abolishes tariffs, and second in ensures that the signatories allow those goods that are made domestically, to also be imported from abroad, that is to say, that the rules are applied equitably. It does not attempt to address every form of subterfuge that is possible. This is for several reasons.”

“For one, we just don’t view trade as a zero-sum game. We view attempts to ‘win’ at it as ultimately misguided. If someone attempts to ‘dump’ their steel into our economy, or subsidize their products, they are in effect harming their own economy while giving Allaneans subsidized steel or smartphones. We are not there to correct every nation’s foolishness.”

“Second, and more importantly, we believe that attempting to correct every form of ‘cheating’ in trade, if you will, is not possible without standardizing everyone’s regulatory process – which few people would agree to, and which would require literally years if not decades of negotiations and bribery. We are not interested nor willing to do this at this stage. We believe that it is more important to create a bare-bones agreement that sets down basic principles and removes barriers to trade then struggle for years against whatever argument some anti-trade activist in Upper East Bigtopia may raise, and then risk losing it all because a Lower Smalltopian steel magnate has invented and lobbied for an innovative way to skirt the roles. Thus, we have set forth an agreement that is fairly basic, if flawed. It sets forth a roadmap, and we hope that members will choose to do more than what is set down, and it benefits all members."

"Of course, I welcome your input."

[Excalbia]

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Citadel Excalbia

Lady Christina smiled at the Minister Monningham’s response. She liked people who were direct and to the point. It was like muscle memory from her time as a journalist; the more people talked around a subject, the more she doubted what they had to say.

The Minister leaded forward and picked up a cup of coffee and took a sip before speaking. “Thank you for your clarification, Minister Monningham. We, too, prefer simple, compact agreements. And I admit that on the surface, the RFTA appears to be exactly as you describe it.” She set down her cup and folded her hands in her lap. “Of course, there are often unwritten expectations in any agreement, especially we have found in multilateral agreements, and it these I’d like to discuss.”

Lady Christina smiled and glanced briefly towards the window behind Monningham, then turned her attention back to her guest. “As I’m sure you’re aware, Minister, Excalbia is a conservative society. There are many items traded in world markets that are, to be blunt, illegal in the Holy Empire. Ranging from drug-laced beverages to other, more egregious items. So, we are always careful with any free trade agreement lest it be use as a wedge to introduce such items into the local market. Beyond the patently illegal, we are also aware that some nations have less, exacting shall we, standards for food and drug safety and again, we would not wish to introduce any import that would not meet Excalbian regulatory standards. Finally, we have always reserved a preference for procuring items for military and sensitive government use from domestic sources or trusted allies. Based on a plain reading of the RFTA text and your remarks, we should be able to maintain all of these policies, but I’d like to put each of these questions to you directly.”

[Allanea]

“My example is a fairly simple one, and I think it’s within reason. As I understand the RFTA, if you have, for example, a law in your nation that requires that all chocolate must contain at least twenty-five percent cocoa to be defined lawfully as ‘chocolate’, and that it must be labeled clearly as to its expiration date and place of manufacture, then this rule should be applied equitably to chocolate which is made in another signatory state. That is to say, if I am a chocolate manufacturer, and I wish to import my chocolate to Excalbia, I must ensure that it contains at least twenty-five percent cocoa, or it can’t be legally placed on Excalbian shelves as ‘chocolate’. Again, that’s just an example, I don’t mean to imply anything about your citizens’ tastes in chocolate or whatever else.”

“Now, I admit straight up that there are ways that this could be manipulated. A nation could create a regulation that is equitable on its face but in some way provides a perceived advantage to its domestic industries. But we decided that it would be better for us to concede this possibility, then to be constantly accused of trying to degrade nations’ regulatory standards, which most people believe at least are protecting them from fraud and abuse, on behalf of our megacorporations or on behalf of our ideology. So again, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs drafted the RFTA, we are not here to do that. Our simple guide is that the same rules that applies to a bar of chocolate that is made in your country domestically, might apply to an imported bar of chocolate. “

“Now I admit there are complexities that are not fully addressed, but this is the overall guideline.”

[Excalbia]

Lady Christina steepled her finger and leaned back in her chair. “Based on your example, then, it would seem that our regulatory and customs rules that prohibit the importation of illegal drugs and substandard goods , as well export controls on sensitive goods, could and would remain in effect should we choose to sign on to the RFTA.” She nodded slightly. “I think with this understanding, it will prove… acceptable to His Imperial Majesty and to my colleagues in the government.”

The Minister relaxed a bit, dropped her hands into her lap and smiled slightly. “Free trade has always been a cornerstone of the Holy Empire’s foreign policy.” She gestured over her shoulder towards the door of her office. “You may have noticed the statue of Commerce with her handfuls of trade goods as one of the literal pillars of our ceiling out there. Of course, other things matter as well.”

She leveled a serious though not unpleasant gaze at Monningham. “One additional question regarding the unwritten implications of this treaty. We note that it is strictly a trade agreement and, since so many of the signatories are nations unknown to us, we wish to ensure that it implies no political or military obligations.”

The Minister uncrossed her legs and leaned slightly towards the Allanean. “Of course, that point aside, I would suggest that Allanea and Excalbia establish formal diplomatic relations, including an exchange of ambassadors. If you are so inclined.”

[Allanea]

“The RFTA implies nothing except what is stated in its actual text, madam.” – said Maverick, holding his counterpart’s gaze. “There are no obligations of any kind except what is stated in it. That said, of course, it is our hope that improved trade relations will lead to improved relations in general, and improved conditions elsewhere. However, that is a hope and in no way are our hopes, aspirations, or any such thing binding on any signatory.”

“In a sense, this conversation is an example. We have not applied for a formal exchange of ambassadors, yet I am quite happy to see one result from this. As you may know, we have a cultural outreach program working in several of the Western Atlantic nations, and I’ll be quite happy to ask Their Imperial Majesties appoint an Ambassador to Excalbia as well.”