Imperator Azenquor

“Thank you for the clarification, your Excellency. I would like to express our hope that the treaty downgrade will permit us to reassess and re-evaluate the situation in the near future as well as to find common ground for future cooperation. To that end, may I present the following amended draft text based upon our prior treaty for your consideration.”-President Dragomirov ==

Without missing a beat, President Dragomirov replied: [i]“Indeed it does. Our government wishes to express our sincere and significant concern over the following issues: -The decision of the government of Alvonia to request activation of our Mutual Defense Pact on the basis that the response by other nations in Europe to the Alvonian invasion of Brandenburg constituted an act of aggression against Alvonia by those countries. -The decision by the government of Alvonia to neither accept nor acknowledge our prior request for consultations regarding this matter. Those consultations were sought with the intention of fully clarifying the applicability of the relevant clause in our Mutual Defense Pact. -Clarifying that the ultimatum presented to Alvonia by Romania and their allies constituted a document that could not be accepted by any truly sovereign nation and that there was likely an ulterior motive for the sending of this ultimatum, the manner of the response of the government of Alvonia to the Romanian-bloc ultimatum served to create an image of Alvonia as a reckless country itching for a confrontation. Mr. Power’s colorful statements, while of concern to us at the time, are now even more concerning in light of your Milanese ally’s feat of fantastic and unparalleled nuclear lunacy. Given these three issues of concern, coupled with Mr. Power’s continued service in the Alvonian government, it is our position that the Mutual Defense Pact between our two nations cannot remain in it’s current form. In light of the logistical challenges posed by rendering military assistance to the government of Alvonia without the prior approval of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia or the controller of the Bosphorus straits, coupled with the impact of the three issues I’ve mentioned, I would like to propose that the treaty be revised and downgraded to an Optional Defense Pact.”[/i]-Dragomirov

[b][u]ZCNA – President orders review of gov’t bureaucracy[/u][/b] [i]“President Paskal Dragomirov held a three hour joint-meeting at the Presidential Palace in Svyatoy Veragorod this morning. The meeting was attended by the members of the Presidential administration, the Prime Minister, the National Security Council and the Cabinet. Moments after the meeting ended, officials from the Office of the Presidency briefed the press in an unusual departure from the previous administration. The press briefing was led by Polina Borisova, the Chairwoman of the Presidential Information Bureau in the Office of the Presidency. According to Ms. Borisova, the President held the joint meeting in order to lay out the government’s key policy objectives for this fiscal year and to coordinate meeting those objectives. It is understood that the President and Prime Minister agreed on the need for urgent and wide ranging reforms to several key sectors. At the meeting, the Presidency and the Cabinet agreed to launch a wide ranging investigation of the Civil Service Bureaucracy in order to cut wasteful spending and to raise efficiency. We were also informed that the new government plans to overhaul the military equipment procurement process, regional government administration and customs procedures within a year. On the question of the national budget, the government revealed that their key priority will be to move toward a budget surplus within three years and to ‘make a significant dent in the national debt’. Ms. Borisova suggested that the government could not go into much detail about the budget at the moment as it is still being drafted. Once this process is underway, she suggested, the Prime Minister will present clear and measurable fiscal targets. In order to aid transparency in government operations, the Presidential spokesperson revealed that the Presidency will endeavor to hold once monthly press briefings to keep the local press informed of key developments. When asked by the press if President Dragomirov would address the opening session of the National Assembly later this week, Ms. Borisova stated that the President ‘fully intends to address the National Assembly as is his constitutional responsibility’. [/i]

[i]“It is and remains our position that a government cannot use its cultural, ethnic or linguistic ties as the basis upon which they declare a protectorate over an ungoverned region or as some mystical aura of additional legitimacy. In the case of Southern Italy I am not suggesting that Milan had less of a claim to the region than the Spartans. Rather I am stating that in our view they both held claims of equal legitimacy. The notion that the Milanese government could somehow undertake some action that would somehow bolster the legitimacy of that claim is a rather unusual prospect. Clearly this will remain a fundamental point of disagreement between us. Once again, regarding the Spartans, you have mentioned the notion of ‘politically neutralizing’ the Kingdom of Sparta. What precisely would such ‘political neutralization’ entail? Additionally will it become the norm for the Kingdom of Yugoslavia to seek the ‘political neutralization’ of countries in the region who ‘contribute to instability’ as you put it?”[/i]-President Dobreva

([b]OOC:[/b] Okay then.) After a brief welcome ceremony at the Sofia International Airport, the Alvonian delegation would be brought to the Presidential residence in Sofia where they would be met by President Dragomirov and Vice-President Teodora Petrova. [i]“Your Excellency, may I once again welcome you to Zapadnaya. We have requested this meeting in light of the significant developments in Europe over these past months and our desire to conduct a thorough review of our bilateral ties. Firstly how is the situation in Alvonia in the aftermath of the Bucharest settlement?”[/i]-President Dragomirov.

In response, after the necessary preparations were made, the following private message would be transmitted to the Alvonian government:

“Well, if you pardon my frankness your Majesty, whether it is looked upon positively or negatively the annexation of ungoverned territories is happening worldwide and it will very likely continue to happen regardless of if it is negatively looked upon. The incorporation of ungoverned territories in which the incorporating nation has little or no practical ties to has taken place across this region and beyond. In the case of Italy we maintain that the Kingdom of Sparta had no more or less right to southern Italy than Milan. The Milanese government did not obtain greater legitimacy in it’s claim to southern Italy on the basis of proximity, shared language or culture. There is no difference, in our view, between Sparta’s expansion into Italy and Turkey and the Babylonian Empire’s expansion into the Middle East. Now if Spartan expansionism extends to the territory of sovereign nations, then that is an entirely different bowl of borscht. Thus far each of the examples we have discussed involved a sovereign state extending control over a territory that did not form a part of a sovereign entity at the time. Differences of opinion aside, since the Kingdom views Sparta as being a factor detrimental to regional stability, how does your Majesty see such instability being addressed?"-President Dobreva

President Dobreva remained silent for a moment while carefully phrasing her reply: “Indeed. And their decision to do so is no different than the Babylonian Empire’s expansion into the Middle East, the expansion of Druk Yul in Asia, Hungary-Slovakia in the former Poland, the Russian Emprie in Eurasia, and so forth. This kind of expansion has, unfortunately become the norm in Europe and some of the blame for this must be laid squarely at the feet of the European Community. I take it that the Spartan’s decision to do so is of significant concern to your government, Your Majesty?”

President Dobreva made a few quick notes before replying: “Certainly, a frank discussion of the situation is often best. Our government currently has no particular position one way or the other when it comes to the Kingdom of Sparta. In terms of international affairs, the only key actions of note undertaken by the Spartan government that we are aware of were their intervention in Southern Italy and their attack on the former Milanese regime. Does the government of Yugoslavia find these two actions to be of significant concern? And are there other actions undertaken by the Spartans of which we may not be aware?”

SNN News – ‘Regionalism’ replaces ‘Europeanism’ as new gov’t sworn in “As newly elected President Paskal Dragomirov takes office in Svyatoy Veragorod today he has already hinted at a shift in government policy. In a speech after his swearing in, President Dragomirov spoke of the need to reorient the country’s external affairs in order to replace ‘impractical, theoretical Europeanism’ with more plausible ‘constructive Regionalism’. He stressed the importance of cooperation with other Black Sea and Balkan nations as being ‘more constructive’ than ‘seeking to join failed Europe-wide political experiments’ such as the European Community. President Dragomirov also chided the previous administration for failing to strengthen coordination between the Premier and the Presidency. He suggested that his administration would address this situation ‘without delay’ as it is ‘vital for the effective and efficient administration of government’. The new President also pledged to increase transparency and accountability in government while preparing the foundation for 'lasting and sustainable economic growth'. In Sofia, Prime Minister Grigorova presented her Cabinet to the National Assembly for a confidence vote. As was expected, since the Justice & Development Party (JDP) now has a majority mandate by itself, all of the government ministers appointed by the Prime Minister are from the JDP. One of the key surprises in the new cabinet lineup is the decision to move former Health Minister Zhanna Konstantinova to the Ministry of Science, Labor and Industry. Dr. Konstantinova was replaced at the Health Ministry by Dimitri Ognyanov. The Prime Minister also decided to name Ivo Draganov Foreign Minister. Mr. Draganov will replace Field Marshal Teodora Petrova who has been named Vice-President of the Republic."

The following private message would be sent to the government of Alvonia:

The following private message would be sent to the Kingdom of Sparta:

=== Status: Approved Votes (Parliament): 342 Yea, 1 Nay, 145 Abstentions

After a short welcome ceremony at the airport, the Yugoslav delegation would be transported to one of the Presidential residences in the city of Sofia. After exchanging greetings and the customary pleasantries, President Elena Dobreva would begin: [i]“Welcome to Zapadnaya once again Your Majesty. I understand there are matters of importance that you wish to discuss?”[/i]

[b][u]ZCNA: JDP emerges victorious as final results are tallied[/b][/u] [i]“With every vote counted and verified, the Electoral Council has announced the final results of the elections. After a night of surprises, it has become clear that the Zapadnayan voters have completely redrawn the political map in the country. With approximately 10.6 million people eligible to vote, the Electoral Council has estimated nationwide turnout to be 82.80%. This is a significantly lower turnout than the 98% turnout of the last elections. The Parliamentary elections have resulted in a clear mandate for the Justice & Development Party (JDP) and it’s leader Prime Minister Grigorova. The JDP managed to win 54.55% of the vote and a supermajority of 342 seats in the 500 seat National Assembly. The European Future Party (EFP), the senior party in the outgoing coalition government, only managed to win 27.27% of the vote and 146 seats. The Socialist Party (SP) saw a significant decline in support and managed to win only 18.18% of the vote. This decline sees the Socialists holding onto only 12 of the 144 seats they held in the previous National Assembly. [/i] -Parliament Composition (SP-Red, RPP-Blue, EFP-Orange, JDP-Green) [i]With such a clear majority, JDP Leader Iskra Grigorova will be able to form a government on her own and will not need the support of the European Future Party (EFP). As a result of this, the policies of the second Grigorova premiership are likely to be markedly different from those of her first premiership. In the Senate, there was nothing short of a political earthquake. The Socialist Party (SP) which held control of the 1st Senate has been brushed aside by a strong showing by the JDP. With 798,993 votes, the SP only managed to hold onto 8 Senate seats. The Republican People’s Party (RPP) won 1,597,986 votes and 16 Senate seats, while the European Future Party (EFP) won 798,993 votes and 8 seats. The Justice & Development Party (JDP) won a record-breaking 5,593,829 votes and 58 of the 100 Senate seats.[/i] -Senate Composition (SP-Red, RPP-Blue, EFP-Orange, JDP-Dark Green, Mil-Light Green) [i]The results of the Presidential election are similarly surprising. After a hard fought campaign by President Elena Dobreva [EFP] for a second term, it appears that the voters have decided otherwise. President Dobreva [EFP] received 36.36% of the vote in the Central region and 21% in the West. Nationwide, she received 29% of the vote. Paskal Dragomirov [JDP] emerged victorious securing 45.46% of the vote in the Central region and 64% in the West for a total share of 55% of the vote. The other two candidates, Zlatko Dimitrov [SP] and Nadezhda Maksimova [RPP] won only 14% and 3% of the vote respectively. This election marks the first time since the restoration of democracy that the same political party has managed to win the Presidency as well as control of both the National Assembly and the Senate.”[/i]

=== ***Classified*** In light of reports from Belarus indicating that the recent attack appears to be an isolated incident, the government has decided to upgrade the travel classification of Belarus to D(-) while continuing to watch the situation closely. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will modify it’s travel warning to simply state that travel to Belarus is ‘high-risk’ in light of the recent incident. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to investigate reports that the attack in Belarus was carried out by individuals formerly affiliated with the Polish military as a response to Belarussian and Hungary-Slovakian occupation of Poland.

[b][u]SNN News - Gov’t to review Child Naming laws [/b][/u] [i]“The government has announced it’s intention to review the laws governing the naming of children after a woman reportedly attempted to register her newborn with the name ‘Satan Lord of Darkness Hernandez’. Hospital administrators refused to agree to assign the child such a name and the mother filed an urgent appeal with the Interior Ministry. According to the appeal, the mother is insisting that she has a fundamental right to give her daughter any name that she chooses and that the hospital administrators refusal constitutes a breach of her rights. In response to the appeal, Interior Minister Milena Buchvarova has opened an investigation into the matter. In a short statement, Ms. Buchvarova revealed that the current naming laws allow hospital administrators and government officials to use their discretion, but that ‘unorthodox’ names were not explicitly forbidden. Based on the Interior Minister’s recommendation, the Parliament will debate amendments to the Child Naming Law in order to prevent such a situation from happening again in the future.[/i]

All the necessary details would be worked out and the necessary information would be sent to the Yugoslav government. Once all the details were confirmed, the government would prepare to receive the Yugoslav delegation at the Sofia International Airport.

[b]***Classified***[/b] In light of news reports from Belarus of an attack in which the ‘entire Nationalist party leadership’ was reportedly killed in a bombing in the Belarussian capital Minsk, the government has ordered an emergency review of the travel classification. According to the public reports from Belarus, there have been numerous casualties. In light of the worrying security situation in Belarus, coupled with that nation’s participation in hostilities against Alvonia, the government has decided to temporarily classify the nation of Belarus as [b]‘E(+)’[/b]. The designation will expressly prohibit any Zapadnayan citizen from travelling to Belarus for any reason. Additionally, any individual arriving at a Zapadnayan port of entry with a travel document issued by the government of Belarus may be subject to immediate arrest and deportation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has directed all relevant personnel not to issue visas to individuals with Belarussian travel documents until further notice. The Foreign Minister has also directed the Foreign Ministry to issue a public travel advisory to citizens warning against travel to Belarus.

The following private message would be sent to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia:

[b][u]ZCNA News: Polls open to lower than expected turnout[/b][/u] [i]“Voting is now underway in the second elections since the restoration of democracy. While thousands of eligible citizens cast their ballots yesterday by taking advantage of early voting, the majority of voters waited until today to exercise their right to vote. According to electoral officials, there was less turnout than initially expected in the first three hours of voting. While it remains a possibility that an upswing in voter turnout could still take place in the coming hours, initial reports appear to suggest that less voters have gone to the polls this time around. If this trend continues, it is unclear whether the lower turnout would favor any particular candidate or political party.”[/i]

[b]***Classified***[/b] In light of the decision of the government of Druk Yul to hold an underwater test of a 5MT nuclear weapon near to the Keeling Islands, the government has decided to downgrade the travel classification for Druk Yul to [b]D(-)[/b]. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is requested to carefully monitor public media for additional developments regarding the situation. The downgrade of Druk Yul shall remain in effect despite announcements from the aforementioned government of it’s declaration of a moratorium on above ground nuclear weapons testing. The Foreign Ministry also notes that while the Druk Yul announcement was regarding an underwater nuclear weapon test, the announced moratorium appears to only apply to above ground testing.

[b][u]ZNCA News: Second elections since restoration of democracy begin[/b][/u] [i]“For the second time since democracy was restored to Zapadnaya, the citizens of the country will go to the polls to elect the next government. Voters will be asked to elect the President of the Republic, the members of the National Assembly and the Senate. The Electoral Council has confirmed that early voting is now underway across the country and that the polls will open tomorrow morning at 0830 ZST. President Elena Dobreva, of the European Future Party [EFP] is running for a second term as President of the Republic. She is expected to face a major challenge from the Justice & Development Party’s (JDP) Paskal Dragomirov and the Socialist Party’s (SP) Zlatko Dimitrov. In the National Assembly the outgoing coalition government consisting of the Justice & Development Party (JDP) and the European Future Party (EFP) rejected a proposal for both political parties to present a joint list of candidates and to attempt to form a second coalition government. Instead, both parties will stand independently. Outgoing Prime Minister Iskra Grigorova is confident that the JDP is on course for a parliamentary majority. The situation in the Senate is less clear however, as most pollsters are predicting that the Socialist Party (SP) will likely retain control of the Senate albeit with a reduced majority.”[/i]

=== ***Classified*** In light of their actions leading up to the war with Alvonia, the government has decided to downgrade the travel classification for the following countries: -Hungary-Slovakia: D(-) -Belarus: D(-) -Ukraine: D(-) -Romania:D(+) -Prussia: D(-) Additionally, the government has also decided to downgrade the travel classification for the nation of Baffin Island to D(-)

=== Status: Debate Senate Debate Approved [Introduced by Justice & Development Party (JDP)] Votes (Parliament): 486 Yea, 0 Nay, 14 Abstentions Votes (Senate): 98 Yea, 2 Nay, 0 Abstentions Signed by President: n/a