New friends, new trade (Fecaw/Yohannes)

[Yohannes]

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The skies above Royal Alexandria

In six years the Royal Alexandria Embassy District had changed beyond recognition. Kayla had not been here since the World Assembly Condemnation of Automagfreek in 2012.

Then it had been thirty or so chanceries clustered around the exclusive inner suburb next to the castle. Now, she saw as her plane flew above the Diplomatic Quarter across the sprawling city, there were four times as many consulates and embassies. She could identify them around the botanical gardens, surrounding the castle and marking the space between the Queen’s winter residence and the river. Several of the embassies looked large. In the vicinity of the botanical gardens were countless small black limousines, and the construction of new chanceries seemed to indicate that their number would only increase with time. There was a new international convention and exhibition centre, and the northern port had been expanded to accommodate new trade.

Looking down from above, Kayla was impressed. “The Embassy District has grown well,” she told Darryl, her personal assistant. “And I guess we’ll soon find out if the Embassy of Fecaw is really the majestic chancery that every Beltway apparatchik has been saying, after all,” she said eagerly, pointing to the largest white building down below, with its huge green, red and purple flag draping the facade and covering the roof of the newly constructed chancery.

[Fecaw]

Yohannes Embassy, E38-707, Sediw

The ambassador nervously stared out of the top floor window of the embassy in Sediw. He gazed out over the city of 7 million, watching the boats in Lake Ethe, which seemed like an ocean. Today was his day, the moment that he had to prove himself to his King and other superiors. He drummed his fingers on the window frame, nervously checking his phones for news of any arrivals. Behind him, a large green, white and blue flag was draped over the wall, as various chairs were dragged out of their covers and positioned around the room. There were high expectations for this building, which the government of Fecaw is not used to meeting. Suddenly, his phone beeped, the message came up saying

King arriving shortly, ambassadors coming from airport.

Meanwhile, King Sarol was in a terrible hurry. He was expecting the whole Council of Electors to come, but only managed to grab Chief Senater Jura Ranero to come to the embassy opening. An assistant hurriedly pointed them to his car as he fastened his traditional robe. The car took off rather abruptly, followed by several armed policemen on motorbikes, carrying their ACR 16 rifles. The Senater and King sat quietly in the back as the car took the short journey to the embassy district. He heard the cheering of a small crowd as they came to the front gate and looked out of the side window. "Ah, they told me there would be a crowd", the King said. Ranero grinned. The car slowed as it entered the gate and turned to the side and the King was shown out of his car into the front door of the embassy. They were greeted by the ambassador as his car rolled away.

"Sir, the plan is that the ambassadors from Yohannes arrive from out there and we walk out to meet them. We spend a moment in front of the crowd and then go back in for lunch and some talks. Then we will go out and make a speech."

"Good, amabssador!"

[Yohannes]

---

Out-of-Character information: The original post was made about Fecaw’s embassy in Yohannes, but all gud I’ll pretend that somehow our characters are meeting in Yohannes’ embassy in Fecaw instead, although I’ll still (somehow) bring Kayla into the thread later

Madeleine Fürstenberg was the first Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Realm of Yohannes to the Kingdom of Fecaw, and on that Monday morning the King himself came early to her chancery in jubilation. “Your Majesty … what a surprise to see you here,” she said.

“Your grace, I did not expect to see that the King of Fecaw himself would grace me with his presence. I have long admired your work on the Fecawn Encyclopedia, and I believe that my youngest is a huge fan of your literary analysis on Part 2—Geography.”

“What analysis?” Clara suddenly entered the room. She moved to stand next to her mother. “I hear a conversation here so I come and try to say hello, hi hi … oh no.” She realised what was happening.

“I see Mum’s lying to flatter the King’s official again. I’ve never read the encyclopedia though I’ve heard so radical review about the book!”

Madeleine was furious.

“Clara … this is the King himself,” she said in a whisper to her daughter, hoping that Sarol would not hear her words.

[Fecaw]

OOC: Shall we assume that any children leave for the rest of the talks?

The King smiled, resisting the temptation to chuckle. He looked reprehensively at Clara, but with a slight grin still on his face and sighed. "So, now that the cameras are gone, shall we go to have some lunch? After that, we will have a talk." Sarol said, turning to the ambassador. He led her down the corridor to the main room at the back of the embassy and brought her to a wonderfully-set table with some rather uniquely Fecawn dishes.

On various platters were kelp, snails and lichen, but the main dish was a large fried turbot. The cook had hoped to make the dish a suitable introduction to national cusine, but didn't want to confuse any foreigners too much. King Sarol sat at the far end of the oval-shaped pine table before Emel Doula and Jura Ranero took their seats, gesturing Ms. Fürstenberg to do the same.

"So, welcome to Fecaw! We are glad to have relations with such a powerful nation and I was wondering what you think of us."

[Yohannes]

---

Madeleine was unable to learn more about Sarol. Some envoys said he had been ruthless in his youth and was resolute in will to advance his kingdom. Others said he was a pushover. Her husband thought that the king had looked like a very sensible man during the embassy opening ceremony. Madeleine refused to participate in gossip, and she was determined to learn more about the king and his government in person.

Madeleine said, “Your grace, thank you for this opportunity.” She took her seat.

The tempting aroma distracted her. If Sarol was wondering whether she took a liking to Fecawn cuisine or not, he did not say. “Your grace, they look very delicious—I’d better believe the food will provide plenty of distraction!” Madeleine reached for a grape from a platter of fruit nearby. The fish looked tasty, but the snail and kelp not so much. She made a mental note to hide her distaste.

"So, welcome to Fecaw! We are glad to have relations with such a powerful nation and I was wondering what you think of us."

Smiling first at the Fecawn Ambassador and then at the Chief Senater, Madeleine confidently replied, “Thank you very much for your government’s kind words.”

“Your unstinting support for the values of embassy partnership and open diplomacy has allowed the Thirty-sixth Christian Democratic Executive Council of Chancellor Annabelle Thorndon-Stevensonn to focus on potential long-standing trade agreements between our two countries.”

“The Kingdom of Fecaw is a thriving regional economic power. Chancellor Thorndon-Stevensonn is no stranger to the strength of your kingdom’s travel and tourism industry. That said …”

Madeleine sat with her hands far away from her folder so that Sarol would not get the impression she was planning anything serious.

“It was widely believed in the Nineteen Countries that foreign access to the Fecawn market remains tightly controlled.” She had wanted to hear and learn about this from the king himself.

“Your grace, I thought you might like to know that, just in case that rumour had been unfounded.”

[Fecaw]

OOC: Sorry for the late reply!

The King cheerfully grabbed some kelp from the platter and pulled out the tongs for some snails. As he dropped them onto his plate, he noted Madeline's slightly confused expression. "The food in Fecaw can be... odd. Please, don't be startled!" he said reassuringly.

"The nation of Fecaw has always been very committed to safety and environmental sufficiency. Therefore we have a rather tight regulatory system. Fecawn people also tend to value self-reliance. These two factors probably have led to this misconception. Fecaw is open to business." replied the King.

Emel Doula continued the conversation. "One of our main areas of interests was your extraordinarily successful national bank. The government will be more than interested in depositing in an account."

[Yohannes]

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-+-PUNCH CORPORATION ALL RIGHTS RESERVED-+-

Maréchal-Le Men
Parliament House
ONLINE

Wrote a shout out just a while ago:

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“His Excellency Maki Kojiro, the first Shogun of the Empire of Greater Nifon, has taught me one very important lesson—we should be proud of our nations’ cultural ideas and traditions.”

“I’m proud of the Nineteen Countries in 2018. When I was elected into office on behalf of the GOP, I had promised that the Realm of fiords and mountain will become a better, stronger place for the future generations to follow. 2018 has been our busiest year since 2011 and 2012. We look forward to embracing the year of 2019 with contagious enthusiasm and energy.”

“With knowledge and material wealth comes power; and with power comes responsibility. Just as the Empire of Greater Nifon and other countries like it will continue to grow, the Realm of Yohannes will continue to thrive economically. We will continue to learn and grow as a nation, and nothing will stop us growing so long as we stay open-minded and prepare to adapt for the future.”

“Today, as the Nineteen Countries is about to leave 2018 and enter the year of 2019, I’m proud to table yet another piece of legislation before the Members and Elected Collegians of the Realm in Parliament assembled: the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Consular Relations between the Kingdom of Fecaw and the Realm of Yohannes.”

“Yes we can.”

“Believe in Change—believe in you.”

—@Maréchal-Le Men Parliament House on her Last Month of the Year Address.

#Marioncare #GOP2018 #NationStates2018

New friends, new trade—Fecaw and Yohannes

Follow @Maréchal-Le Men Parliament House for the latest from the President of the Electoral College and her office. “I do not own the rights to this opinion article and video.”

---

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-+-PUNCH CORPORATION ALL RIGHTS RESERVED-+-

[Yohannes]

---

“Fecaw is open to business.”

Madeleine listened attentively. She had not been briefed of all things Fecawn, but she had talked about the kingdom’s environmental policy with Chancellor Annabelle Thorndon-Stevensonn, who had talked amicably with Jura Ranero last year, and to the President of the Electoral College Marion Maréchal-Le Men, who held the Fecawn king in high regard; so she knew what had been discussed.

“One of our main areas of interests was your extraordinarily successful national bank.”

Madeleine rejoiced. She had known this was coming, but she was very pleased that it was finally made official. Before Marion Maréchal-Le Men’s term in office there had never been any contact made with the Kingdom of Fecaw. Her predecessor, Garnet Til Alexandros, had been too preoccupied with supporting the embattled Chancellor’s radical tax and deregulation policies at home—a situation made possible only because they both came from the same party. So, many voters had decided that if they wanted to halt the overzealous Christian Democratic Party’s pro-market reforms, the easiest way would be to vote the other way for the January Presidential Election, and that was exactly what they did.

Now Marion Maréchal-Le Men had the whip—and her number one priority was one of strict neutrality and even more peaceful engagement by trade abroad.

“The government will be more than interested in depositing in an account.”

Madeleine had been contemplating this all the way back to her first day in office, and she had her answer ready. “The Joshro Islands are incredibly remote and they suffer the worst of Fecaw’s weather,” she said.

“Your grace, Chancellor Annabelle Thorndon-Stevensonn has been looking at the possibility of having the Bank of Yohannes support the development of the Nicey Island’s promising fishing industry.”

Madeleine anxiously tapped the side of her glass with a spoon. “Realising, with humility, that we must respect the policy of your government concerning Fecaw’s tight regulatory system … and strict foreign investment regime, I’d like to assure your government that the Bank of Yohannes will be prepared to work together with one or more local banks in the Kingdom of Fecaw.”

Sarol was listening. She couldn’t believe this. Madeleine was nervous. She smiled at the king, his two ministers, and finally at her own fears. I must be dreaming, she thought. To negotiate my way and talk with the king of this gorgeous archipelago—I must be mad!

[Fecaw]

"We would be more than glad to get working on a deal."

The King was unsure of Madeline's knowledge and wanted to deal with any misconceptions. "Are there any parts of Fecawn politics that you are unsure about?"

[Yohannes]

---

"We would be more than glad to get working on a deal."

Madeleine was surprised that King Sarol had wanted the Bank of Yohannes to finance the construction of Fecaw’s infrastructure. She understood that the Bank of Yohannes would seem a safe choice—but the Bank of Yohannes was a bank in Yohannes, not in Fecaw, and she had expected the king to be more demanding about her offer to place the Yohannesian bank’s investment projects in his kingdom under the authority of a local, Fecawn-based financial institution. Instead the king had readily accepted the cautious proposal.

Like most diplomats, Madeleine pretended not to notice opportunities. “I will inform the Bank Of Yohannes to start its draft on the infrastructure expansion feasibility report immediately,” she said as she opened her folder. “I’m sure that Chancellor Annabelle Thorndon-Stevensonn will be able to pledge her government’s money to initially insure the Bank of Yohannes’ starting investment in the Nicey Island next year.”

The King was unsure of Madeline's knowledge and wanted to deal with any misconceptions. "Are there any parts of Fecawn politics that you are unsure about?"

“Your grace, I am fascinated by the practice of politics in the Kingdom of Fecaw,” Madeleine added, beaming. “To me, the art of government indicates, in some way, how a nation would grapple with ever-evolving issues that must sooner or later be solved—with no easy answers.”

She leaned forward. “The art of government, wherever practised, is a lifestyle of definable institutional characteristics—if I may ask, what are some of the most exceptional features of contemporary Fecawn politics and society?”

[Fecaw]

The King knew that Madeline's proposal was a grand one and did not wish to allow a foreign bank too much free reign. "The Bank of Yohannes will of course be under some supervision from, but, to be clear, not under the direct authority of the local bank there. We will expect some cooperation. Thank you for your investment" he said, with a more formal tone. Lightening up a little, he began to explain the Fecawn legislature, "The Senat" he began, "is the only elected body in Fecaw. To prevent sudden political change, elections are split up or staggered over a 20 year period. They have produced a relatively light volume of legislation, which is known for being surprisingly terse. My colleague Mr. Ranero is no national leader, but simply the representative of the Senat."

[Yohannes]

---

The Senat is the only elected body in Fecaw.

Madeleine put on an expression of thoughtfulness. “I see,” she said.

My colleague Mr. Ranero is no national leader, but simply the representative of the Senat.

Jura was an educated, ambitious politician—a type she particularly liked.

When Madeleine received a call from Kayla this morning that Kayla had got her meeting date and location wrong, Madeleine knew there was a chance a Fecawn representative would come around here instead. But she had not expected the king himself to be here—let alone a senior politician from the kingdom.

Mr. Ranero is no national leader, but simply the representative of the Senat.

She said to Juan, “I have always been fascinated by the work of your deputies.”

Madeleine paused for effect. “And the Constitution of Fecaw even more so.” She saw the expression on King Sarol’s face and felt unsure of his response to what she would say next. “The constitution says that the King of Fecaw has a salary of sixty thousand NationStates Dollars. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw how small it is!”

She turned to face the king. “The Kingdom of Fecaw is truly lucky to have such a generous and enlightened sovereign.” Madeleine sighed. “As much as I would like to say only good things about my country, it saddened me to see the many spoiled grand dukes, princes and earls still there,” she said. “They take from the taxpayers without giving anything in return. Your grace, if only they could learn from your example?”

Madeleine went on. “I admire your kingdom and, especially, its constitution. Yohannesian politicians could learn a lot from it, and our prince-electors could learn a lot from seeing humility in action.”

She wondered what her superiors back home would say about this. The thought filled Madeleine with guilt. But her job was not to be Chancellor Annabelle Thorndon-Stevensonn’s stooge. She was the head of her country’s diplomatic representation—not the Christian Democratic Party.

Madeleine turned to face the Chief Senater again. “It’s to my understanding that Fecaw and Laeral are amicable regional neighbours,” she said. “What is your opinion on the recent Cordeliers protests in Laeral?”

[Fecaw]

OOC:

I need to write a post for Fecaw for our other thread (Before Fecaw will tell me off for this....)

---

"Thank you so much for you kind words" said the King, gratefully, as a smile grew on his face. "Fecawn political theory is that its rulers should live lives similar to that of their subjects. We believe that government that ensures order by acting as a simple non-coercive influence is the most effective. We go by the saying of Confucius: "He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn towards it." Yohannes, on the other hand, is by no means a corrupt country in my mind, and has surely profited greatly from its economic prosperity and international trade, which is something that Fecaw has never been able to master."

Jura Ranero settled his face as Madeline began to talk of Laeral. He finished chewing his fish before he began to answer. "You are correct that Fecaw has an amicable relationship with Laeral. We completely condemn any kind of paramilitary organisation. While an official statement was not made, it was made clear in the Senat and from the general ambience in Fecaw that gunfights in streets are not the way to deal with Laeral's issues. I would suggest that the Laeran government and paramilitaries work to bring an end to the violence, which would largely be solved, frankly, by an increase in respect for public decency."

King Sarol nodded. "Fecaw was noted for not taking an official partisan stance on the Laeran elections" he added.

[Yohannes]

---

Madeleine and her two Minutes of Meetings Registrars watched while King Sarol finished what he was saying, going into detail about Fecawn political thought; and the Chinese philosopher Confucius and his influence. Then he told her of his admiration for her country.

Madeleine said, “There are many things, which I trust your Grace will know about, that have disappointed me—money and happiness don’t go hand in hand the way I thought.”

She paused for effect and leaned forward with her hands on the table. She had no idea what the king might say next, but she felt confident. “As the forty-seventh Chancellor of the Nineteen Countries, Annabelle Thorndon-Stevensonn has done great things—for those enterprising individuals and the resourceful—but even the most staunch Christian Democratic supporters knew of the current Executive Council’s weaknesses very well.”

“Your Majesty, you have spoken of the eastern philosopher’s wisdom.”

Madeleine thought for a few moments. She said, “I must humbly ask—what did he say about the man who moves a mountain?”

[Fecaw]

The King turned his head to the side a bit before he began to speak. "Confucius said that the man who moves a mountain starts by moving pebbles." he said abruptly. "Confucius wrote on a variety of topics, but the government here simply takes inspiration from his political philosophy. While Confucius is one important figure, he is not the sole inspiration for Fecaw, which is in fact a largely Christian society.

Mr. Doula had not spoken for a while, and felt that the conversation had gone off on a tangent. "One of the main upcoming events in our governments is the annual reshuffle. The King is expected to release new lists of deputies, who are in turn expected to appoint their own assistants. It will also be a time for some, minor, reform." he began. The ambassador paused, wondering if he really should be speaking, but continued. "It is expected that, after the recent expansion of the National Guard, Fecaw's admittedly small military, with Xencovian arms, Fecaw may be looking to purchase some arms from Yohannes. We, especially the Deputy of Defence Jorel Loynnd, are aware of the activites of VMK industries and would like some additional information before considering any purchases.

[Yohannes]

---

Now and again there came into Madeleine’s mind the thought: is this really who I am? More than once she had realised that she did not really know what to do for the rest of her life. She was more of a thinker than a decision-maker. She liked to take a backseat rather than be at the helm. And she was at her best supporting those leaders who made the hard decision outside the negotiating room—not in. But it was at times like this she knew that, hey, she might not have the choice. The King of Fecaw, it seemed, was set on pushing the discussion to the mean goals. If this was the case, then she would have to drop all pretense of joviality and small talk.

“VMK was once, of course, open to further export overseas—to just about every foreign state.” She paused for effect. “But after years of soul-searching, its government body had then decided to try to limit its dealings with only those sovereign governments having reasonable foreign relations. This does not mean that we don’t respect those who fail to meet our criteria. We respect every sovereign state’s right to freely exist. As my daughter would say, it means that we’re now secure enough—strong, independent and confident while remaining humble—to be able to comfortably say, ‘Hey, this is not the way we want to play. We respect your right to play the way you want, but, unfortunately, that’s not our style.’”

Standing just beside the door was Madeleine’s commercial officer. He blanched. She chuckled. If the old man had just expected her to shamelessly market the Yohannesian brand over integrity, perhaps he knew her now as he had never before!

Madeleine went on. “We admire smart, creative legislative-minded governments such as Bears Armed, Fecaw, Imperium Anglorum, Laeral and New Edom.”

With her go-ahead, her economic officer finally added, “VMK is open to Fecaw, your Grace”

Madeleine nodded. She said, “Your grace, what kind of information will your government need to proceed with this plan?”

[Fecaw]

(OOC: I am really sorry about the very late reply. Life has been rather busy, but I should be more active from now on.)

"Fecaw does not usually consider itself a modern state", began the Ambassador, trying not to seem vexed ", but Fecaw's military does take on the character of a modern, creative military force. Mr Loynnd has recently stated that he would like some more details on how any units from VMK would be purchased, along with how they would be imported to Fecaw." The Ambasador was not, in fact, desperate for information, but wanted to allow the Yohannesian delegation to learn of their interest in buying goods from VMK and make it clear to them that Fecaw's reputation for pacifism was largely unfounded.

[Yohannes]

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(OOC: I am really sorry about the very late reply. Life has been rather busy, but I should be more active from now on.)

Out-of-Character information: Al gud Erita! I'm really bad with time management myself. I'll edit this post with In-Character after party tonight

Mr Loynnd has recently stated that he would like some more details on how any units from VMK would be purchased, along with how they would be imported to Fecaw."

When Madeleine had listened to Emel speaking, she took a piece of paper from her folder. She handed the paper to her commercial officer and sat there for a minute or two, sipping her coffee in silence and staring curiously at the Fecawn Ambassador.

I think he’s trying to be funny, Madeleine thought.

She winked at Emel. “Have you ever heard or seen the phrase, ‘Letter of Intent,’ Mr Ambassador?”

There’s no way he’s never seen one before, Madeleine mused to herself. He’s a senior diplomat—not a college student. How could it be possible?

[Fecaw]

"Ahh... Yes I have heard of one." the ambassador chuckled a bit. "We did not consider making one, simply because we found it unnecessary. We did not feel that we were quite ready to form our intent in that way. However, you can expect some purchases coming rather soon. Fecawn politics has proved rather complicated, and some members of our government have been very resistant to any purchases, so we thought that it could be too inflammatory to declare any desire to make purchases before they have gained sufficient approval." The meal was nearly over and Emel had satisfied himself in getting down to business and making any kind of negotations. "How are the Yohannesian ambassadors in Fecaw finding their time here?" he began.

[Yohannes]

---

Madeleine said, “Our official envoys have found Sediw a thriving city. Interesting art museums and cultural buildings—vibrant culture, pure magic.”

“This is the bill paper, your Grace.” She put the paper on the table in front of the king. “Before becoming an Act of the Realm, this agreement will go through several stages in Parliament. Sitting members of Parliament will debate the feasibility outcomes and the scope of this agreement. For the bill paper to enter the first reading, we will need the Fecawn Ambassador’s signature.”