U.R. Secretary of State heads to Rodarian capital in wake of Romulă's military exercises as U.R. Congress officially sponsors Bogorian local defense forces
Kader Tarek (@KaderTarek) and Donald Voortman (@DDVoortman)
February 17, 2015 10:21 pm | Oured, D.A., United Republic of Emmeria
U.R. Secretary of State Grant Meradala (left) meets with Rodarian Foreign Minister Mircea Basescu (right) in Romulă, Rodarion to discuss the evolving situation in Bogoria. Secretary Meradala expects to meet with Rodarian Consul Octavian Ceausescu later this week. WP photo
OURED, D.A., United Republic (UPN) — United Republic Secretary of State Grant Meradala arrived in Romulă this past Tuesday afternoon to discuss the emerging Bogoria crisis. The Bogorian civil war has left thousands dead and millions displaced, and it is the site of an evolving confrontation between the pro-CDI Bogorian government, and pro-Rodarion rebels.
The long-awaited visit comes in the wake of Rodarian military forces' announcement they would be conducting large-scale simulated war games near the Rodar-Bogorian border involving over 50,000 troops and 1,000 tanks, as reported by Rodarian state media.
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The Department of Defense issued a press release stating they were "aware of the evolving circumstances surrounding Rodarian military exercises" and were "monitoring the situation." Defense Department authorities or Presidential Residence officials could not be reached for comment.
Related to the issue was a highly contentious bill that passed in the United Republic Senate on Tuesday morning authorizing the U.R. government to supply arms and training to pro-government militia, also known as the Bogorian local defense volunteers (LDVs). The U.R. has been supplying and training government military forces, but it never provided such training or equipment to local militia. The bill passed 22-18 in the Senate, with one abstaining. Last week, it passed in the House of Delegates 231-215, with five congressmen abstaining.
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The Bogorian local defense militia units were formed by Bogorian President Algirdas Kirkilas in the aftermath of terrorist attacks in the Bogorian capital of Utena on February 2-3. The terrorist attacks left over 180 dead according to Bogorian authorities, and were described as a two-day "reign of terror" that ranked as the deadliest terrorist attack on Bogorian soil.
Also related to the issue is President Vaziri's signing order on the Congressional arms supply bill on Tuesday morning, which boosts the number of U.R. military advisors in Bogoria from 2,100 to up to 4,000. The president said the increased troop complement was intended to better train Bogorian forces, providing for adequate technical expertise of sophisticated U.R. systems such as weapons and equipment issued to the Bogorian Army and local defense militia.
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"Now we only wait for Congress to authorize a long-term forces presence," Mr. Vaziri said in his post-signing conference with reporters. When asked what he thought about an air campaign against the rebels, Mr. Vaziri said, "All of our options are being considered, and unfortunately it is too early for me to provide you with a solid timeframe for that decision."
Secretary Meradala's visit to Romulă underscores an executive crisis in which U.R. President Alex Vaziri is reported to be strongly considering authorizing large-scale strikes against the Bogorian rebels, which the Presidential Residence has long claimed are being supported by Rodarion. Romulă has denied these claims, saying that it has not provided any support to the local insurgents.
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The Vaziri administration's foreign policy has recently been under fire because of a Congressional report released last Friday claiming President Vaziri was legally authorized to use military force to counter the Ankaran bombardment and invasion of New Pontus, a colony of Eagleland, a close U.R. ally, in contradiction to the Presidential Residence's statements placing the blame on Congress for not acting fast enough. The Ankaran attacks represented a grave humanitarian crisis, and the subsequent loss of New Pontus displaced 4.1 million civilians and turned a key global economic center into an industrialized ghost town.
It is important to note that a majority of CDI heads of state and foreign ministers were absent from the Romulă visit. Anthoran Prime Minister Thomas Dalen, accompanied by Prestonian Emperor Albert Francis, were in the country late last week to discuss various matters, but Bogoria was a minor issue in the conference. The Rodarian Ambassador to the United Republic, as well as the Rodarian Ambassador to the OPA, are expected to convene with U.R. authorities in Chaleur later this week, and Rodarian Foreign Minister Basescu is expected to visit Oured in a conference that is projected to involve more CDI representatives.
The meetings represent signs of emerging peaceful diplomacy in the midst of a brutal civil war and international confrontation.
Editor's note 2/19/15 10:09 pm: An earlier version of this article said that an executive order signed by President Vaziri Tuesday morning, separate from Congress's bill to authorize supplying arms to Bogorian self-defense militia, boosted the U.R. troop presence in Bogoria. In actuality, this move was made through a signing order President Vaziri included when signing the Congressional bill into law. UPN apologizes for this mistake, as it emphasizes factual accuracy in reporting.
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