Ainslie State Discussions Thread

[Samudera]

"Thank you, fellow delegates. It's been a pleasure to talk with you.", said Kunakara while saluting others. He then proceeds to quit the building and drove to Wellington for his trips home. 'I miss home already', he mumbled.

[Orsandia]

"It was swell to meet you both, we look forward to our newly forged friendship going from this point on." stated Secretary Li. As she departed with the Orsandian delegation, she exclaimed "Until we meet again!"

[Ainslie]

Ainslie-Cantonos State Visit - Arnton, Ainslie.
Date of Commencation Wednesday the 27th of September, 2017

[Cantonos]

Once the iron bird tattoed with a radiant sun on a field of azure landed on the sun-kissed runway, President Sangwoo was awoken from his nap by an aide.

"We have arrived at Arnton International", whispered the aide as she handed a wet towel to the quickly awaking Sangwoo who sluggishly rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

Sangwoo sighed as the warm touch of the damp towel caressed skin, mentally preparing himself for the visit at hand. For a moment, he regretted having ever campaigned on the notion of expanding the country's engagement on an international stage. He hated travelling, and planes in particular, and post-election polls had shown that not many voters cared one way or the other whether Cantonos had any renown in the world stage. "

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Arnton International Airport. Local time is 03:07PM and the temperature is 19 degrees celsius. For your safety and comfort, please remain seated with your seat belt fastened until the Captain turns off..."

the voice of the pilot pouring from the intercom became background noise in Sangwoo's head as he readied himself to disembark. As he walked down the stairs of the CAF Presidential Airbus, he was greeted by a corps of journalists and newscasters recording the event. A relatively small crowd waving small Cantonosian flags cheered and welcomed President Sangwoo as he walked towards his secured vehicle bound for the Ahnslen Senate in central Arnton.

After a short trip, Sangwoo finally arrived at the Senate building, an impressive structure which towered over surrounding buildings as a beacon of their democracy. Sangwoo wandered into the entrails of the Senate, being escorted by a staffer towards the meeting room where according to the staffer:

"...Prime Minister Kenzai awaits you Mr. President"

As he enters, he examines the room briefly and then locks eyes with his Ahnslen counterpart. Sangwoo bowed to the Prime Minister, then proceeded to walk with an extended hand and a slight smile on his face.

"Prime Minister, it is a pleasure."

[Ainslie]

"Elcoué President... It's an honour to meet you again. It's been a while..."

Kenzai received Sangwoo's hand and shook it, in the private room where there was already no media around. Kenzai was looking forward to this meeting and possibly striking some sort of agreement with Sangwoo.

[Cantonos]

Sangwoo gave him a firm handshake with the smile he had been employing for five years since his inauguration as President. He followed Kensai to a nearby set of chairs, crossed his right leg over the other and unbuttoned his jacket. The sudden relief to hi thorso reminded him he should have another one made sooner or later considering his recent weight gain.

"Perhaps a salad for lunch...", he thought to himself and stopped the train of thought before remembering the Prime Minister next to him.

" Yes, too long indeed. Although our countries may not have had a particularly extensive history together, I have come seeking to change that. Our two peoples share common values of democracy and freedom, and as such it is natural that as entrepreneurial and outward looking republics we should seek for ways to make our nations and the region as a whole a more peaceful and prosperous place."

[Ainslie]

Most definitely. Firstly, how is your nation going with its anti-piracy operations? We believe their may be some common interest in that field to get us started...

[Cantonos]

"Cantonosian law in regards to anti-piracy as it stands is officially relatively strict, though in practice, as you may understand, cannot be regulated to perhaps desirable extent to prevent the traffic of unlicensed content through the web. Sites which engage in such activities are generally required to be shut down by network providers, and fines are given to uploading services. On the other hand, downloading content is not penalised as long as it is for strictly personal use, what we refer to as a " home copy", and it isn't distributed for commercial purposes."

[Ainslie]

Apologies, we mean traditional piracy. There has been issues recently in the surrounding seas to us about modern piracy - not over the internet, but rather in the seas. We were wondering what the cantonosian reponse this was. Of course, we can discuss what you've brought up but I feel as if a misunderstanding occured.

[Cantonos]

Sangwoo would chuckle in embarrassment at the apparent mishap, the true course of the conversatiion having been lost in translation by the looks of it.

"My apologies Prime Minister, the language barrier must've gotten the better of us." Sangwoo would briefly bow his head in an apologetic fashion, although a smile was still plastered on his face.

"In regards to maritime piracy, the Cantonosian coast guard has seen an increase in it's activities. Our coast-guard, although not large, has been efficient in the protection of our territorial waters and trade-jurisdiction. A month ago our Cabinet got notice of a report by a freight vessel which was in the process of being hijacked by these water-based criminals, but was luckily thwarted by the fast response of our coast-guard vessels. This however showed the pirates are growing more bold with time, and has required the expansion of efforts to protect our commerce and territory."

[Ainslie]

"Good to see an efficient organisation delivering beneficial outcomes. Is there any support you would seek from Ainslie or any of your neighbours in regards to piracy? I'd also like to bring up refugees as it appears to be a growing issue in the Isles. Additionally, have you heard of the G4 before?"

[Cantonos]

"We hope to maintain the situation under control, although there is concern to how the situation may develop for our nation is small and our military as well. As it stands we believe perhaps further cooperation in regards to communication, tracking of pirate movements and joint patrols could maintain our countries' waters safe."

Sangwoo would wait for a few seconds for the full translation to come into his earpiece as he looked at his Ahnslen counterpart. Once the last part of the Prime Minister's comment came in, his expression shifted to a more conservative, neutral look.

"Cantonos has a very strict asylum policy as it stands in concordance to our national traditions and the will of our people. The Cantonosian government throughout it's history has believed in the merits of aiding to alleviate the situation where such problems arise, rather than relocating it somewhere else. Aside from that, Cantonos faces a variety of internal issues which need the attention, priority and focus of it's elected government, and thus can not in good conscience accept an amount of refugees beyond the tens of individuals which can be more efficiently guided to integrate into Cantonosian society and our very important cultural traditions and mentality."

[Ainslie]

What internal issues are you experiencing?

[Cantonos]

"Although our nation has seen promising growth in recent years, poverty and homelessness continue to be a big issue which citizens deal with -- in particular in the less developed rural areas which see considerably less economic activity and investment than in the big cities. The global trend of the rich getting richer, and the poor getting poorer, is palpable in the United Cities as many regard globalisation to have abandoned them. We face the same issues many other nations face, and it is in our regard of greater importance of tackling those issues before we can open our doors for other people who need to be helped. It would be imprudent, and against the will of the Cantonosian people, for it's government to put the wellbeing of others ahead of it's own people."

[Ainslie]

Interesting... On another note, what would you think of having military cooperation with us?

[Cantonos]

"The Cantonosian military is small, but competent. Cantonos has always been a country of stability, an abode of peace. For that matter our military doctrine is strictly for the purpose of defensive action, whether that is ourselves or our limited allies. However, considering the rise of tensions in the region as a whole, Cantonosian isolationism may not be a reliable stance for the troubling times ahead. If our nations could reach a mutual agreeement which guaranteees our sovereignties as individual states, yet cements the joint interest for protection against aggressors in a defensive manner, then Ainslie and Cantonos should be able to pursue such a policy of military cooperation."

[Ainslie]

We do have an agreement with Samudera that we're looking to expand into a peacekeeping/armed force. Perhaps your nation would be interested in that. As for now, I think it is better that we wrap things up now. It's been a pleasure talking to you, and I'm sure our government officials can work things out from here. Thank you for visiting, and safe travels to Bhinneka.

[Ainslie]

Ainslie-Vancouvia State Visit - Arnton, Ainslie.
Date of Commencation Tuesday the 17th of October, 2017

[Vancouvia]

Short in stature, but bold in circumference, Ambassador Montgomery Alabama drove into Arnton absentmindedly, merely stopping to enjoy the scenes of the Wesland countryside on his way. He liked to do this, fly into some other city on the other side of the nation and drive in. It was a luxury to him, but he argued it as a necessity to Congress. "I must experience the country first," he argued. It was his favorite part of the job.

Pulling off the highway and into the city, he received a secure email from Congress on his phone: "Push hard."

It was rather curt, but Montgomery was used to it. They were all about efficiency, but hell, Montgomery barely knew what he was supposed to push.

[Ainslie]

Whitford gradually eased out of bed, he was definately not a morning person like Kenzai is, he recalled to himself. Whitford spent the next half an hour reminiscing of the times he was a Deputy PM. He knew that his best days were ahead of him, as he no longer had to spend time answering to Kenzai or the Judicial Council. He was his own boss, in a position practically created for him.

Whitford, an hour later, was sitting in his chair in Highland Ridge. He had been on holidays for the fast few weeks and decided to stay in his holiday house in the city. He then looked out the window, at the gloomy, cloudy landscape which surrounded him. This didn't bother him - the serenity of Highland Ridge in comparison to the other cities was unparalleled. He looked at the frost which was twinkling off of the leaves. It was odd for frost to occur so early in the year and was a sign that a long, cold winter was coming.

He had enough with the calmness after a while and decided it was about time he made the car trip down to Arnton. The highway was well developed between the two cities and was relatively flat given that his destination was 600m lower than his origin. He watched as the plateau of Highland Ridge transitioned into the hills which would lead to the lower tableland that Arnton was near. It only dawned on him now the memory of Vancouvia's involvement in the TWICCS summit, where he remembered their clear obsession with trains. He chuckled a little to himself as he remembered the borderline hilarious conduct of the ambassador which represented the nation.

He said quietly to himself, "This is gonna be fun".

Whitford knew that this visit was important for Ainslie. Vancouvia stood at the gateway of joining the COFN and was an important bilateral relation to build up ties with in order to have a way out of the Cooperative Union if Ainslie chose so.

A bright light emitted from his phone, with a text from 'LUA (Leader of the Unified Ainslie)' detailing his objective
"Expand. Emit. Empower.". It was a vague phrase, but he knew exactly what Kenzai meant as it was a major policy he ran on alongside Whitford when they won the election.

Whitford straightened his suit as he quickly walked up the stairs, bordered by Federal Corporals and aides. He was ready to go. All there was to do now is wait. He sat casually on a chair, watching his phone with intent.

[Vancouvia]

"Sir," said Montgomery coming into the room and shaking the delegate's hand, "A pleasure to meet you. I am Montgomery Alabama of Vancouvia."

Montgomery laid out his laptop, notes, and iced water on the table in front of him. "I'm sure we have much to discuss."

[Ainslie]

"Please, I am taken back by your formalities - looks like we do things differently on the other side of the range... Take a seat... yes, we have much to discuss. Would you like to begin?"

[Vancouvia]

"Yes, of course."

Montgomery pulled three sheets of paper from his briefcase, then set each of them in between them. The first was The Coalition of Free Nations' charter, the second was the VACES, and the third was blank.

"I'll get right to the point. We are both facing an increasingly hostile region. Terrorism is on the rise, the disease outbreak has shaken our resolve, and there seems to be growing militarization on all corners of the region. It is my hope that we today can work towards strengthening both of our nations' resolves and preparedness. What does Ainslie want, Andrew?

[Ainslie]

Andrew was a little confused as the Vancouvian was talking. It looked like there was soome misunderstanding, but he decided to continue with a response. "That first document there. That's the Coalition of Free Nations treaty? Ainslie is very interested in that organisation and it appears that the organisation is much more respecting of Ahnslen sovereignty than the Cooperative Union recently. It fits into our recent foreign policy shift as well. It appears that the Coalition is a stabilising force here in the north and I think entry into it is something that Ainslie seriously need to considers, but we'd like to see what your nation's opinion on the matter would be."

Whitford paused for a moment, looking at the three groups of paper laid out before his counterpart

"Additionally, we would like to gauge your nation's interest in the Gael Four Treaty. As you may already know, your neighbour Noronica has just joined it and we would like to know what your nation's view on it is. Other than that, we would like to know what your nation has come to Ainslie for - it is a quite long trip, one that really isn't helped by the strong northeasterlies we get in the colder months..."

[Vancouvia]

"We believe Ainslie would fit right into the COFN - in fact, we are very sure your entrance would be accepted by the other nations in it."

"As for the Gael Four, we believer there is some overlap but we would nevertheless be open to that opportunity should the general aire be in favor of Vancouvia joining it."