[CLOSED - ESQ ONLY | IC] Fourth Esquarian Summit

[Montecara]

"Aside from one typo ('less than $6,000'), we have no objection," said Torsièl.

[Cirdia]

Alessa, sitting in silence and listening to the arguments and policies proposed, thinks long and hard about the implications of the agreement regarding Nautasia. Cirdia had no ties with any nations in Nautasia, though the Cirdian government and citizens knew very well the effects of the conflicts that tore the continent asunder. Those images of suffering and destruction was imprinted on Cirdian's memories by the media.

"No objections to the proposed plans. Cirdia currently has no ties with any of the nations in Nautasia, but I do hope we can all agree that this crisis extends beyond politics. It is a humanitarian crisis involving millions of innocent lives destroyed by violence. We shall do what we can to assist in rebuilding these people's lives and restoring their nations without infringing on their sovereignty...provided that additional hostilities do not jeopardize the measures being taken to assist the nations affected."

At the back of her mind, Alessa can see Cirdian aid workers under attack by remnants of the Caliphate or violent groups that are not friendly towards foreigners on their soil. She cannot promise their safety, but knowing both the Cirdian government and NGOs, people will go and assist regardless of the dangers involved. She makes a note at the back of her mind to speak with the Minister of Commerce once she returns to see if he could get the private sector involved. Shouldering the costs of such a grand operation would come at a large cost and if Cirdia were to assist, the collective effort of both state and private enterprises would be a welcome ease to the burden.

[Xiaodong]

Yuan stroked his chin as the Aucurian president read the draft declaration. Xiaodong’s interests in Nautasia rested almost entirely with its longstanding alliance with Ankoren, of whom cordial ties with were of paramount importance with Rongzhuo. As such whilst the other delegates voiced their proposals (from Luziyca’s asinine nine point line to the more reasonable proposal to set up an investment bank) Yuan simply conversed in low tones to Second Minister Xu Bangguo over the proposals as he vobserved State President Volkans reaction.

When however the Chancellor of Korizland (an irrelevance of a nation if there was one) Yuan bristled. The arrogance of the Nordanian in seeking to casually disregard the welfare of Nordanians in the interest of ideology irked Yuan and was clearly an imperialist jab at Ankoren. Scowling, Yuan leaned into his microphone.

“The Xiaodongese government have no overriding concerns with the draft declaration, although we would dispute the notion that all Nautasian states should consider their sovereignty inviolable in the case that the government of said territory - such as the former Kamel regime and current Hussein regime in Kraq - loses the support of their people. After all, the Ivradi people would not enjoy the democratic freedoms they maintain today if not for their liberation by the Islamic Revolutionary Army. Of course states which retain the confidence of their people should be respected but if they lose such confidence, surely their leaders lose such rights to sovereignty.”

”Xiaodong also opposes any measure that seeks to limit aid given to countries based on frankly nebulous concepts of “human rights” which is not determined by the Nautasian people but by liberal intellectuals a continent away who have no real understanding on the traditions and culture of the Nautasian people. Nautasia should be allowed to develop and grow at its own pace and through its own culture, and it is not the job of western leaders with values frankly alien to Nautasian culture to determine how Nautasians should act. Surely if we respect sovereignty of states it is up to those states, not those of no knowledge of the traditions of that state, to determine how they should develop and that they should be free to pursue that course?”

[Korizland]

Grand Chancellor Colin Woodford, Earl Westerby

"No one's telling Nautasians how they should act, just their governments. Governments that should be ensuring their people can safely air their grievances or won't be punished without being convicted of a crime by a court of law. But then, I'm not the one suggesting that we use the frankly nebulous concept of 'confidence of their people' when there is no real way to measure such confidence in many of these countries. Then again, we have a representative one such nation here today, perhaps he can help. State President Volkans, how exactly does one go about measuring the confidence of the Ankoren people in your government? Is it by how many journalists post only one article critical of your government before never posting again?"

[Ainin]

"As for the location of this new fund, I believe that it would best serve the interests of all concerned parties if it was placed in Namo," Cao said in the hopes of moving on from the topic.

He continued, putting heavy emphasis on the last two words. "I believe that we are now ready to move on to the next topic, seeing the lack of objections from concerned parties."

[Karazawa]

"If we put economical limits on the fund, it is for a reason. The reason being that we consider nation under thoses limits is unable to provide for the development of its own infrastructure.

The Fund should not become a clutch for the Nautasian nations, which whom they will be able to divert the budget they should have allowed to their growth being used to encourage petty wars and instability.

The problem with allowing sub-national entities to ask for funds or for nations to ask for funds for their sub national entities is that it allow for loopholes and abuses of the system which will be detrimential as a whole to Nautasia, and in this peticular case, to all of thoses who participate to the funding project.

Above this 6000$ mark, we consider a nation to have the potential to support itself without the need of foreign assistance. Litorea has the potential to solve its own problem, the same way Ankoren has the potential to trully integrate Irvadistan.

The Fund for Nautasia Development is a temporary solution for nations unable to sustain themselves alone. It is a way to put them on track for their own individual development, not to do it for them.

As for the location of the fun itself, we have no objection for it to be in Namo. But despite thinking it is an opportunity for Nautasia, Karazawa won't participate in this project if it is allowing demands for or by sub-nationals entities."

He then started to write on his notepad which he then left on his table, perfectly readable by Colin Woodford. This is not the moment or the location for such figthing words. Half the battle is in where it is held and if you continue on this way, you will lose. Wait for another occasion to bring such remarks. Truth is a weapon, not a shield. It won't protect you, especially today.

[Korizland]

Grand Chancellor Colin Woodruff, Earl Westerby

Chancellor Westerby flipped to a new page on his own pad.

One O in lose.

And that accomplished exactly what I wanted. Don't worry. I'm done.

[Union of Akoren]

Volkan nodded to Yuan in gratitude for his defence of the Union, a true friend of the Union and him personally.

Ignoring, the waffling over democracy and human rights, Volkan leaned into the microphone.

"The Union fully supports the proposal as it stands, while we wholeheartedly support the fund being administratively based in Namo. It is vital, that a capable and competent government such as that of Namor be host to such a vital tool for the betterment of all Nautasia. By ensuring its non-politicisation, we are now making an historic success, that will finally provide the means to help drag Nautasians out of poverty and away from the corrupting influences of extremism of all kinds.

"I will also say with certainty that the Union will offer monetary support for the Fund itself, when possible" Volkan leaned back. He wasn't going to let the Litoreans claim the HQ, lest he watch as they gloat over it. Any effort to halt Litorean standing improving in the world.

[Litorea]

President-General Moutari looked down with his hands clasped before him as the assembled nations continued to deliberate the merits of the declaration as worded. Within only minutes, the word "Namo" became a grating string of sounds on his ear, and he tweaked his nose in mild annoyance. He had bided his time in responding to the repeated suggestions of the Namorese capital being home of the development fund, but once the Ankoreni president spoke and came out in favor of the Namo proposal, he decided to speak up.

After rubbing his temples, the Litorean leader reached for the microphone on button. No matter what, he would not budge on the issue of the fund's headquarters.

"Your excellencies, the Litorean Union fully understands the concerns expressed by multiple leaders in attendance here that the proposed development fund be politically neutral. However, Litorea refuses to entertain any notion that this fund should be located outside the Nautasian continent." With a sigh, Moutari stood, an obvious sign he was once again going to go on a minor tirade.

"I would like to express in no uncertain terms that the idea that this fund ought to be located outside of Nautasia constitutes nothing more than cultural paternalism, a fact which is greatly ironic, considering how the intent of this fund is to lift the Nautasian people to a state in which they can govern their own affairs. I ask you all, however - how can we expect to begin the process of ensuring an independent Nautasia when we do not trust that continent enough to handle the funds which have been exclusively set aside for their own self-improvement? I understand the cries for neutrality and for non-alignment and for having no strings attached,
but thinking that the fund must be located outside of the continent to guarantee those things is quite ridiculous."

"These assembled leaders may shake their heads when I accuse the proposition of headquartering the fund outside of Nautasia of being paternalistic, but let me guarantee you all, I will not be the only one who would believe it so. Nautasians will start off being skeptical of this new fund, and by headquartering it in Namo, an ocean and a vast expanse of land away, we would sabotage this fund's attempts at earning the trust of the Nautasian people from the get go. I predict that every failure, every misstep, every error made by the fund's administration, should it be made in Namo instead of a city in Nautasia, will be seen by the Nautasian people as a symptom of a world order that simply doesn't care enough about them to competently handle the funds designated for their betterment. Should this fund be based outside of the continent, I would give it 6 months from foundation until every dictator and community leader begins to see it as another method for foreign powers to meddle in the affairs of our continent."

President-General Moutari turned to Volkan with a glare in his eye. "There has been a lot of talk about ensuring that Nautasia remains free from imperialism, or intervention, or the threat of foreign powers, yet many of the very same nations that have claimed to defend this principles believe that this fund ought to be administered from a foreign shore. This is nothing short of hypocrisy and a betrayal of the Nautasian people. To demand so is to make it insurmountably harder for the fund to effectively distribute and audit funds. It would make the fund more detached from the Nautasian people. It will ensure that the board will be staffed with Luziycans, Namorese, Vjaars, and possibly even Nevans instead of Litoreans, Rifatis, Nautaryans, and Ankorenis, the people who genuinely believe in the spirit of Nautasia and know where that money must be spent. I doubt the real intentions of a leader who claims to believe in the innate right of Nautasians to be free of overseas hegemony yet demands that one of its largest sources of funds be located as far away from Nautasia as possible," Moutari said, still looking quite clearly at the Ankoreni president.

The Litorean turned away, once again focusing his attention on the leaders in general. "If this summit finds neutrality a core concern as to the location of the fund's administrative base, Litorea would once again like to suggest Pisdara, specifically its capital of Ashuragar. Pisdara is a small, quite unaligned country, yet located very near to the Nautasian continent proper. By basing the fund in Ashuragar, we can guarantee that the fund's leadership will be in Nautasian hands and that the people it serves will be in close proximity to it. I would like to make absolutely clear - to base this fund out of Nautasia is to shoot it in the kneecaps before it even begins running."

Moutari took his hand off the microphone on button and sat back down, leaning against the back of his chair as he looked around the chamber to measure the world's reaction.

[Qianrong]

Prime Minister Nisimura turned on his microphone and began to speak. "With all due respect, President-General Moutari, are you sure Pisdara is the best location? Pisdara is a comparatively small, geographically isolated country with a small population and poor infrastructure. It has one airport, one post-secondary school, and two hospitals. Its capital city has a population of only 6,000 people. On top of that, Pisdara has just been hit by a massive tidal wave that even more powerful, prosperous nations are struggling to handle. Presumably this fund would need significant organization and infrastructure, if it is going to handle delegating aid to an entire continent. I highly doubt Pisdara have the infrastructure necessary to host a fund of this magnitude."

"Furthermore, the political situation in Pisdara is deeply unstable," Nisimura continued. "The country's government is effectively paralyzed in many situation between some deeply polarized factions- factions which have their own ties, ideological, political, and quite potentially financial- to some of the nations sitting at this table. You describe Pisdara's government as neutral in Nautasian politics, and maybe it is for now, but to be blunt, I am not sure I trust Michel Desmarais and Shadar Kabari to be neutral on this issue forever."

"The instability in Pisdara's government has also led to a widespread instability across that country's society," Nisimura noted. "The country has been subjected to multiple terrorist attacks by Islamist extremists, radical pan-Nautasianists, and white supremacists since independence. Ashuragar itself has been subject to at least four terrorist attacks since 2016 and this means there is also a large potential security risk; putting the headquarters in Ashuragar could result in it being attacked by any number of militant groups. On top of that, political discourse is on the verge of violence in Pisdara even when it does not come in the form of a shooting or a bombing, the country has been subjected to repeated general strikes, and the country is polarized along almost every metric possible."

"To summarize," he concluded, "I would argue that Namo would be a far better HQ for this fund than Ashuragar. Namo is a recognized world city with extensive infrastructure that would be able to handle a fund of this scale; Ashuragar is small, isolated, and desperately lacks the infrastructure required. Namor has ties to both Ainin and Ankoren, yes, but in a fashion that will allow it to balance those interests and maintain relative neutrality; Pisdara is divided between a radically pro-Ainin anti-Ankoren faction and a radically pro-Ankoren anti-Ainin faction, neither of whom can be trusted to be neutral. Namo is the calm and quiet capital of a stable country; Pisdara is wracked by political polarization and terrorist violence. Namo is by far the better candidate of the two that have been put forth, and I will cast my support behind it willingly."

[Litorea]

After listening to the Senrian make his points, President-General Moutari tapped his temples thoughtfully for a few moments, before having a mild flash of revelation come to him. A short pause followed, before Moutari once again hit the microphone button determinedly.

"I recognize the points the honorable Prime Minister of Senria makes regarding the option of Ashuragar as the headquarters of the fund. However, neither I nor the Litorean Union can abide a fund which is so detached from the Nautasian people, such as it would be if it were located in Namo. Hence, there can be no placement of the headquarters in Namor, not without significant guarantees regarding the state of the fund's administration."

Moutari looked around and cleared his throat before continuing. "Thus, I have four proposals for headquartering the fund in such a way as to remain neutral while keeping in touch with the Nautasian continent. Proposal #1 entails basing the fund neither in Namo nor Ashuragar, but in another Nautasian state such as Nautarya or Concordia. While concerns about development would still exist, some of the issues brought up by Prime Minister Nisimura would be alleviated and the fund would remain in Nautasia."

"Proposal #2 entails headquartering the fund in Iberville, the Aininian exclave. Iberville is much more stable and calmer than Pisdara and is actually on the Nautasian continent. However, there would still be concerns regarding the fund's neutrality."

"Proposal #3 would allow the fund to provisionally headquarter in Namo, but mandate that the fund be moved to a city in Nautasia within a specified period of time. Ideally, by the conclusion of rhe Namo-based period, Nautasia would be more stable and more developed and could effectively support the fund."

"Proposal #4 is that the fund be based in Namo but mandate that its leadership consist entirely of Nautasians, as well as the inclusion of possible employment quotas for Nautasians. While this proposal would greatly disappoint me, it would at least ensure that Nautasian people have control of Nautasian funds and ensure that the fund has a real, personal connection to the continent."

Moutari backed off the desk and slouched in his seat. "These four options are what Litorea would accept with regards to the administration of the fund. I submit them to these assembled world leaders for debate and approval." With a touch of passion, the Litorean's hand flew off the microphone button.

[Namor]

President-General Antelope was fascinated by the widespread support among the summit's attendees to have the development fund headquartered in Namo, with the exception of the Litorean leader. The capital's distance from the epicenter of the earthquake on June 10 prevented it from encountering the full wrath of the tidal wave that followed. Nevertheless, Antelope wanted to hasten the eastern coast's economic recovery through massive infrastructure projects. Building the headquarters of a fund in Namo would create more jobs - which is definitely a plus.

But Antelope was a Liberationist who identified as an anti-imperialist all his life. He sympathized with Moutari's concerns that a fund headquartered outside of Nautasia could be manipulated by malignant foreign powers at the expense of Nautasian people. Having the headquarters of a fund built in Namo is fine and all, he thought to himself as he organized his notes, but I will not trade Namor's image as a non-aggressive player in international politics for a building.

He learned towards his microphone.

"Firstly, I appreciate the delegates in this room who proposed that Namo should host the Nautasian development fund. While I think the headquarters of the fund is a really specific issue that ought to be discussed in a separate forum, we are happy to oblige if everyone thinks the fund should be headquartered in Namor. I can already think of several locations in Namo that may serve as perfects sites for the headquarters.

"But...like I said before, this issue of where specifically the headquarters should be located is better addressed in another setting, preferably a conference that actually establishes the development fund in the spirit of the Kalnaspilis declaration. The same goes for the issue concerning the nationality of the fund's leaders and employees. For now..." he turned to President Uspelevičius, "Let us not drag this leg of the summit any longer and stick with the draft declaration in its present form."

[Litorea]

The other President-General in the room, Moutari, nodded along with the Namorese leader's words. Once he stopped speaking, the Litorean leaned into the microphone and began to expound once again.

"I agree with President-General Antelope's position that the nature of the fund itself should be decided in a separate conference. As such, the Litorean government requests that Section 4c of the draft be thrown out to permit the aforementioned future conference to have more leeway in determining the location and administration of the fund."

Moutari leaned back. "Aside from Section 4c, Litorea agrees with the current text of the draft as stated."

[Aucuria]

"Alright," Uspelevičius said, turning on his microphone, "this is what we have for the declaration on Nautasia. If we're all in agreement over this draft, then we can adjourn for lunch."

ON THE FUTURE OF NAUTASIA

1. The attendees of the Fourth Esquarian Summit recognize that the terrorist group known as the so-called “Caliphate”, responsible for thousands of atrocities and the widespread destabilization of Nautasia, has been largely defeated. However, they also recognize that Nautasia continues to face several serious problems, including endemic poverty, severe political instability, continuing insurgency, and international conflict. Many of these issues existed prior to the outbreak of the conflict against the Caliphate, and continue to imperil security, prosperity, and stability within Nautasia, putting millions of Nautasians at risk.

2. The Summit affirms that the nations of Nautasia should be treated as equals politically, socially, and economically by each other and by the global community, and that the rest of Esquarium should work proactively alongside Nautasia to build a Nautasia of equals.

3. The Summit understands the role that non-Nautasian nations can play in promoting security, prosperity, and stability in Nautasia. At the same time, the Summit recognizes that the people and nations of Nautasia are ultimately the ones who must control the future of their continent, and that the creation of long-term peace and prosperity rests upon the Nautasian people, not upon external actors.

4. The Summit hereby calls for the creation of an international fund for the development of Nautasia, open to all Nautasian countries, regardless of ethnic makeup, religious makeup, or political ideology.

a. In order to guarantee that funds are directed towards the nations most in need of support, the fund should be open to all Nautasian nations with a gross domestic product per capita of less than $6,000 and a growth rate of less than 1%.
b. The fund should be open to subnational entities, including subnational entities in nations that overall do not meet the criteria established in subsection (a).

5. The Summit affirms the critical importance of territorial integrity in international law and the international order of sovereign states, particularly within Nautasia, and declares the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all Nautasian states to be sacrosanct and inviolable. Furthermore, it also affirms the importance of the right of Nautasian states to peacefully develop free of external intimidation, exploitation, or destabilization.

a. In the interests of guaranteeing the independence and territorial integrity of Nautasian nations, the Summit further reaffirms the need for an international working group dedicated to determining when conditions will permit for a withdrawl of non-Nautasian military forces from the continent.
b. This withdrawal will not apply to non-Nautasian personnel who were stationed in military bases sanctioned by binding treaties prior to the outbreak of conflict, non-Nautasian personnel stationed in accordance with mutually-consented-to defense agreements or alliances, non-Nautasian forces operating in internationally-recognized dependencies of their countries, and non-Nautasian military advisers assisting Nautasian countries in maintaining stability at the request of said nations’ governments.

6. The Summit reaffirms its recognition of the role that popular dissatisfaction with substandard social, economic, and political conditions plays in the instability facing Nautasia, as it did during the Third Esquarian Summit. Furthermore, it once again calls on Nautasian nations to create a more inclusive environment for their people, in the name of combating instability and terrorism.

7. The Summit reaffirms the condemnation of all state-backed and state-sponsored terrorism that it made at the Third Esquarian Summit, and declares that any government found to be overtly or covertly supporting terrorist groups financially or militarily is liable to be condemned or otherwise sanctioned.

8. The Summit encourages the greater integration of the Nautasian economy into the overall Esquarian economy, including investment by non-Nautasian nations and groups in Nautasian nations, the integration of Nautasian labor and markets into the global economy, and the reduction of tariffs between Nautasian and non-Nautasian nations.

[Cirdia]

Alessa decides that the current provisions are reasonable and says "No objections."

[Luziyca]

Agapov had thought of a witty retort to the delegation from Korizland, but luckily, he kept silent. Else, the Aucurians may have decided to cut his microphone.

Now that he reviewed the revised draft again, Agapov was confident that "the Nautasian section was perfect." He pressed the button.

"The Christian Republic has no objections to the current draft concerning this section," Damir Agapov declared.

With a nod, he pressed the button again, so to allow someone else to speak. Hopefully, it won't be the Grand Chancellor from Korizland... he shuddered at the thought of him insisting that they only support nations with good human rights records.

With any luck, it will be lunchtime.

[Greater Ziegenian Reich]

"The Reich has no objections to the draft in its current form."

[Greater Petrea]

Yeswara sat in silence, sipping on his water and feeling further input pointless to the present situation, as other dignitaries gave their responses to the resolution at hand. He figured that, as the foreign minister of the Rifati Republic, he would be able to discuss the matters he felt pertinent at a later time. He casually primped his hair once more as he heard the Teutonian dignitary speak. Then, came his turn.

Click.

"The Rifati Republic has no objections."

Click.

[Litorea]

Resting his head on the tip of his right hand's knuckle, President-General Moutari listened carefully to the revised draft of the declaration, nodding in approval to every point made. He waited for the other leaders to voice their support before reaching his time to speak. When it came, he cracked his knuckles and cleared his throat.

With a smirk, he leaned into the microphone and clicked. "The Litorean Union has no further objections to the draft in its current state," Moutari said, feeling quite proud of himself. You've done good, Mr. Moutari,
you've done good.

[Austrosie]

The Austrosian chairman did not utter a single word since the beginning, but nevertheless closely followed the discussion. From indecently simplistic proposals - about which he would've gladly gone on a tirade against, had he been faster - to undisguised provocations and childish attacks, Lichtenwald had a few opportunities to question the competence of certain attendees. He resisted the urge to do so publicly, a somewhat noticeable feat for a man known for hotbloodedness in his home country - although he'd come to realise Austrosian standards may be more different from many other countries' than he thought.

The Workers' State had very little clout over Nautasia - and the few influence it had was nowhere close the areas that were the true topic of this debate. The tensions between Moutari and Volkan were palpable, a solid representation of the relations between the two countries. The Chairman had no wish to back either of the Nautasian powers - be it Ainin, Ankoren or Litorea - as neither of their ideologies aligned with Austrosia. Furthermore, he was unwilling to support anyone in this tense summit, lest he single-handedly commit his nation to a foreign policy for the continent - after all, in Austrosia it was termed the Great Nautasian mess for a reason.

Keeping the stern look he's been donning since the start of the conference, he leaned into the microphone and pressed the button.

"The Workers' State of Austrosia consider the current version of this draft tolerable, and does not have any objection to voice."

With this said, he moved away from the microphone to breathe in. He expected and hoped that the room will be in agreement on the matter, so that discussion can move on to other topics - topics on which he had a lot more to say.

[Aucuria]

"Seeing a lack of objections," Uspelevičius said, "I will declare discussion on this topic over and we can all move on to lunch."

[Cirdia]

With no further objections and the topic finally closed, Alessa sighs and takes a drink from her glass of water. Cirdia being a relatively harmless nation in the eyes of the world does have its perks as it means little chance of hostilities to flare up between it and other countries. She looks around at the other delegates seated around the table and makes a mental note to establish diplomatic relations with a few she's identified. Perhaps she should start with The President of Aucuria. Despite being relatively close to each other, Cirdia and Aucuria do not have formal relations with each other. Ainin, a global power and another French-speaking nation, also seems to be a nation that shares the same interests and values as Cirdia.

With the delegates being dismissed for lunch, she gathers up the other members of the SNA and suggests they establish a separate fund with the backing of the private sector to assist in Nautasia's recovery. "Of course, we will be taking a chance with the goodwill of the private sector since companies are not exactly keen on spending for charity, but I can pull some strings in Cirdia. I will have to stress that this is solely for economic assistance and not to take advantage of the current Situation in Nautasia. If any of you have any ideas on how to improve this idea or if you disagree, I'm open to suggestions or alternatives. Involving the private sectors of our nations would definitely help greatly in mitigating costs so that our taxpayers won't need to bear the brunt of this fund."

After a short discussion with the SNA delegates, she approaches President-General Moutari of the Litorean Union with a gentle smile. "Hello, your execellency. Pardon me, but I do not know the right way to address you, so please correct me if I'm mistaken. I do empathize with your thoughts on having the fund for Nautasia's recovery being located on the continent it would be set up for. However, as progress for that has stalled in the meantime, I would like to propose aid packages from Cirdia to be sent directly to your government. You may choose to distribute them as you see fit to the neediest of those affected. I would also like to know your stance on people from Cirdia, both from the government and private organizations, to come and assist with the rebuilding of infrastructure and the economies of the nations affected. Aside from aid, we would also like to offer it as a gesture of goodwill from Cirdia that we are aware of the plight of the Nautasian peoples and are willing to support them as long as they need as they reestablish their nations. Of course, this shall all be done without infringing on the rights and sovereignty of the Nautasian people. It is not our intention to establish Cirdian influence in Nautasia, but we would, however, like to assist in this humanitarian crisis and ask for your cooperation in overseeing that the aid is actually going to where it should be going." The words come out with a sense of empathy, yet they're firm and genuine. Alessa hopes that the Litorean leader would know that she means what she said. Should he agree, it would only take a few calls back home to arrange for the aid packages to be packed up and personnel to be assembled.

[Litorea]

The Litorean President-General had finally let himself at ease once the lunch announcement came, and decided to devote himself to looking through his stack of dossiers one last time before leaving with the rest of the world leaders for a much-needed meal. It was mostly mundane reports about the state of the economy, economic development briefs, and other such number-intensive, cerebral topics - but it was the foreign policy briefs that Moutari engorged himself in. The statistics were well and good, but the field of foreign policy, where his boisterous idealism could truly be tested, was his passion.

Wearing his small, possibly decades-old pair of reading glasses, Moutari straightened up and turned to the Cirdian representative, Ms. Vinceus, their Minister of Foreign Relations. To Litorean eyes, Nordania was a faraway continent with little stake in Nautasia and little interest to the Litorean Union except as export markets, and Cirdia was just one nation on that continent. However, as Moutari listened with care and attention to the Cirdian's words, he nodded and smiled - any aid for Litorea's cause, indeed, the cause of all Nautasia of democracy and equitable prosperity, was very much welcome.

With a courteous bow of the head, the Litorean began to speak in fluent, though heavily Cortoguayan-tinged, French. "Your government's offer of aid is most gracious, Ms. Vinceus," he said, responding to her earnestness in kind. "The Litorean Union would be very pleased to accept any aid your government would be willing to give - the Nautasian lands in our nation's interior still lag behind the coasts massively and need comprehensive investments to catch up. I must say, though, perhaps some of that aid ought to be given to nations such as Rifat or Nautarya instead, which are much less capable of providing for their own development than Litorea - and much more at risk of offensive actions on the part of certain entities which would see their nascent democracies destroyed. Though foreign aid would be most welcome in the poorest areas of Litorea, and would very much be desired, I ask you to ensure that some of your country's foreign aid is being sent to nations much less capable and much more vulnerable than mine." Moutari ended with an honest nod. Of course, foreign aid packages would make things much easier for Litorea, at least in terms of foreign affairs - having to spend less on the construction of infrastructure in Litorea's interior, as promised by the President-General's campaign earlier in the year, would certainly allow for more funds being given to the Litorean armed forces, more funds being put to military modernization, and more funds being put to the containment of UNIR interests in Nautasia. But, ultimately, Moutari thought - I must put Nautasia first. To do otherwise would be to put Litorea's - and his - current status as the Nautasian leader in the summit at risk.

[Cirdia]

"I do share your sentiments regarding the other Nautasian nation's current situations." Alessa replied, sensing the Litorean leader's dedication to not only his own nation, but to the Nautasian people as a whole. "Thank you for letting me know. I know that Cirdia is a faraway country in a disatnt continent, but I'm glad we both agree that this is something that transcends politics. I would speak with the leaders of the nations you mentioned and proposing aid to be sent from Cirdia to them as well. I see that Mr. Benboulaid of Rifat is in attendance and I do hope he finds my proposal helpful. I'll keep in touch and update you on the deployment of aid to Litorea. It's been a fruitful conversation and I hope we can work together well for the betterment of those affected." With a smile and a handshake, Alessa excuses herself and looks for the Rifati delegate. She sees him unoccupied and takes the chance to speak with him.

"Mr. Benboulaid, a pleasure." She smiles and bows slightly in deference. "I'm Alessa Vinceus from Cirdia. I was hoping to speak with you regarding the afflictions your people are going through. I spoke earlier with the President-General of Litorea regarding the same issue and he suggested your nation may be in greater need of aid than his." She pauses a little, gauging the Rifati delegate's reaction. Sensing that there was no negative reaction, she continues. "As the discussion about the fund seems to have ended in nothing solid, I would like to offer Cirdia's aid in the meantime in order to help provide those affected with another lifeline. I do understand that Cirdia is a nation far detatched from Nautasian events, but I also know that this crisis extends beyond politics. We can send supplies and people from both our government and private sector to help rebuild and secure your nation, but we do not intend to bring people under our sphere of influence. All this shall be monitored and distributed by your government to the most needy as we also do not intend to infringe on your sovereignity." Alessa exhibits the same sincerity she had when speaking with the Litorean leader. While others argue as to where the fund should be, further delaying the aid Nautasia needs, she believes that offering assistance independent from the squabble should probide at least some form of assistance to those suffering.

[Luziyca]

It was an awkward morning.

"If only if I flew in to Songchin," Agapov thought to himself. "I would have an excuse for my idiotic behavior at the start of the summit."

Now that the morning was done, it was now time to eat some lunch, and prepare himself for the discussion on rebuilding after natural disasters. After all, Phikam is still recovering from last month's tidal wave. That, combined with uncertainty over the transfer of sovereignty of Phikam to the People's Union of Kaona meant that Phikam would have a lot of challenges ahead.

Once he reached the dining room, Damir Agapov saw what the Aucurians had to offer, and saw a treasure trove of Aucurian dishes: some that were familiar, such as cepelinai, vėdarai, and kugelis, but others he barely heard of before: koldūnai, pīrādzinai, barščiai, just to name a few.

It was now time to have some Aucurian food, with the traditional Atlian drink, ayran. Here's hoping the food was delicious...