South Atlantic Fiasco

[Californian]

Californian was given minute to minute updates of the ongoing situation. It looked like Sri Lanka and Cochin both were on a blitz to claim as man islands as possible and Californian cursed his govennents terrible timing. He had wanted to secure all the transvaal islands but that seemed all but impossible now. These two nations were amongst the biggest superpowers in the world and the president prayed that diplomacy wouldnt result in another ufe/can fiasco.

Security forces would land on the asuncion and Tristan de
cunha islands and immediately begin securing the towns and ports. When encountering foreign troops such as the
cochinese soldiers it was made clear they should not fire
first. This wasn't a situation that needed to be escalated and Greenland immediately contacted the Cochin government. Mofa kristjan made clear that Greenland was instructed not to use violence unless fired upon an requested a meeting to try and find a viable solution. Greenland had no desire to be on anything other than good terms with the Cochin people.

[Californian]

As a sign of goodwill no Greenland soldiers had set feet on at Helena. The people on the island would be well looked after by a base that had been there for years and the greenland ministry of defense was not foolish enough to challenge Cochin ambitions on the island.

Ooc: using iPhone hence mistakes sorry.

[Californian]

The situation farther south was noticeably more tense. The Sri lankan ships had been tracked ever since their destination had become obvious: either they were visiting the hae or attempting to lay claim over the now lawless islands once controlled by Transvaal.

The Greenland shops realized they were behind in this nautical race of the year. The Sri lankan ships were bigger and more advanced and would no doubt reach the islands first. Instead of attempting to claim all of the islands as the sri lankans had, Greenland divided it's small group of ships.
The vast majority would enter the sandwich waters as
far away from the sri lankan ship as possible and land men
on some of the northern islands. One ship was also
dispatched to south Georgia to land men on the opposite
side of the Sri lankans. All of the ships were of course unarmed and carrying food and aid. A message was sent to the sri lankans asking for a diplomatic meeting. Greenland was not against allowing Sri Lanka some if not most of the islands however it wished to discuss the matter further with Sri Lanka.

[king of cochin]

[quote name='Californian' timestamp='1308058123' post='2731102']
Californian was given minute to minute updates of the ongoing situation. It looked like Sri Lanka and Cochin both were on a blitz to claim as man islands as possible and Californian cursed his govennents terrible timing. He had wanted to secure all the transvaal islands but that seemed all but impossible now. These two nations were amongst the biggest superpowers in the world and the president prayed that diplomacy wouldnt result in another ufe/can fiasco.

Security forces would land on the asuncion and Tristan de
cunha islands and immediately begin securing the towns and ports. When encountering foreign troops such as the
cochinese soldiers it was made clear they should not fire
first. This wasn't a situation that needed to be escalated and Greenland immediately contacted the Cochin government. Mofa kristjan made clear that Greenland was instructed not to use violence unless fired upon an requested a meeting to try and find a viable solution. Greenland had no desire to be on anything other than good terms with the Cochin people.
[/quote]

The Cochin soldiers on making contact with the Greenland troops would hold their position. Meanwhile a communication channel would be opened from Cochin City to Greenland so that the issue may be resolved diplomatically. At the Cochin end would be KP Varma, Minister of External Affairs. A direct comms link would also be maintained with the Cochin forward troops and Command and Control units near Asuncion and Tristan da Cunha.

"Mr. Kristjan, may we ask the meaning of this? As the first claimant and the first to actually enforce our claims on these islands, it is obvious that our stake is higher. Then of course there may be some overriding rationale on the part of Greenland which of course we may honor. Hence the reason why our troops are doing the flag meeting now. So Mr. Kristjan, how do we resolve this?"

[Lynneth]

[quote name='Californian' timestamp='1308061347' post='2731115']
The situation farther south was noticeably more tense. The Sri lankan ships had been tracked ever since their destination had become obvious: either they were visiting the hae or attempting to lay claim over the now lawless islands once controlled by Transvaal.

The Greenland shops realized they were behind in this nautical race of the year. The Sri lankan ships were bigger and more advanced and would no doubt reach the islands first. Instead of attempting to claim all of the islands as the sri lankans had, Greenland divided it's small group of ships.
The vast majority would enter the sandwich waters as
far away from the sri lankan ship as possible and land men
on some of the northern islands. One ship was also
dispatched to south Georgia to land men on the opposite
side of the Sri lankans. All of the ships were of course unarmed and carrying food and aid. A message was sent to the sri lankans asking for a diplomatic meeting. Greenland was not against allowing Sri Lanka some if not most of the islands however it wished to discuss the matter further with Sri Lanka.
[/quote]
The ships had been tracked by satellite and other means as soon as they got in range of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (henceforth SSI).
When the message for a meeting was sent, the reply came swiftly.
"We arrived here first; We have claimed the islands first. We are already distributing humanitarian supplies, and have further reinforcements on the way.
Greenland is more than 10,000 kilometers away. Give us one reason why we should consider anything but taking control of every last of these islands."

[Shadowsage]

The commotion so close to the Empire's borders had many leaders nervous about possible foreign influences drawing nearer to the mainland. Battlefleet Borealis, composed of 1 Aircraft Carrier, 3 Battleships, 2 Destroyers, and 1 Cruiser was dispatched from the Falklands to try and ascertain the situation. When they arrived a simple message would be broadcasted to all ships in the area.

"This is the HAS [i]Imperii Ad Infinitum[/i]. Regardless of who claims these islands, we strongly recommend keeping them demilitarized. There will be no tolerance for building a military base so close to the Empire's borders."

[Lynneth]

[quote name='Shadowsage' timestamp='1308065915' post='2731151']
The commotion so close to the Empire's borders had many leaders nervous about possible foreign influences drawing nearer to the mainland. Battlefleet Borealis, composed of 1 Aircraft Carrier, 3 Battleships, 2 Destroyers, and 1 Cruiser was dispatched from the Falklands to try and ascertain the situation. When they arrived a simple message would be broadcasted to all ships in the area.

"This is the HAS [i]Imperii Ad Infinitum[/i]. Regardless of who claims these islands, we strongly recommend keeping them demilitarized. There will be no tolerance for building a military base so close to the Empire's borders."
[/quote]
"Your recommendation has been noted. It will be brought to the attention of our leadership.
What they do with this is not in our hands. We just follow orders." would be the answer from the Sri Lankan fleet at South Georgia.

[Californian]

[quote name='king of cochin' timestamp='1308061812' post='2731121']
The Cochin soldiers on making contact with the Greenland troops would hold their position. Meanwhile a communication channel would be opened from Cochin City to Greenland so that the issue may be resolved diplomatically. At the Cochin end would be KP Varma, Minister of External Affairs. A direct comms link would also be maintained with the Cochin forward troops and Command and Control units near Asuncion and Tristan da Cunha.

"Mr. Kristjan, may we ask the meaning of this? As the first claimant and the first to actually enforce our claims on these islands, it is obvious that our stake is higher. Then of course there may be some overriding rationale on the part of Greenland which of course we may honor. Hence the reason why our troops are doing the flag meeting now. So Mr. Kristjan, how do we resolve this?"
[/quote]

"I am here to ensure that the current situation does not get out of hand and escalate to something to something that could have been prevented. Though tensions are high I believe both sides are capable of reaching a mutually amicable solution.

I think you have underestimated or ignored the value and importance that these islands hold to our nation. As you know, the current Federal Republic of Greenland was formed from the ashes of the Free Association, an Atlantic-centric island nation focused on preserving the freedom and well-being of the peoples and land in the Atlantic. A large portion of that population, as well as mindset, has carried over to Greenland. Many here feel it is our duty to protect the Atlantic in a sense. While I have nothing but respect for Cochin and understand that you do have a vested interest in the Atlantic if not for your military bases and partnership with the U.S.I., you have to realize that your nation is still located across the world from the Atlantic. Would you not be in a similar situation as we are now if we decided to claim islands in the Indian Ocean after edging you in a mad scramble by mere hours?

With a military base already on St. Helena, claiming other islands so close to St. Helena arguably provides relatively little military benefit relative to the diplomatic fallout such a move would create. With your recent dealings I'm lead to believe that you wish to have a greater economic presence in the Atlantic and being on friendly terms with nations in the area would be able to accelerate this. Greenland would be more than willing to open trade and dialogue with Cochin on the matter and I'm sure this would benefit both our nations.

Truthfully, in an ideal world we would not be having this conversation and Greenland would retain control of all three islands. However, this is quite foolish and unrealistic under the circumstances, and I am willing to accept and recognize that Cochin is here to stay and grow in the Atlantic. Greenland is willing to support complete control of St. Helena by Cochin and we propose that Cochin relinquish its claim to Asuncion and Tristan de Cunha. Greenland is willing to make economic concessions for this to happen. Cochin shipping will be granted preferential access for docking and refueling purposes on these islands and we will promise that the islands would not be used as weapon platforms or staging grounds for an assault on Cochin or its assets. You would have the gratitude of the people of Greenland, people that still remember the days of the Band of Brotherhood pact between our two nations."

[king of cochin]

[quote name='Californian' timestamp='1308106976' post='2731632']
"I am here to ensure that the current situation does not get out of hand and escalate to something to something that could have been prevented. Though tensions are high I believe both sides are capable of reaching a mutually amicable solution.

I think you have underestimated or ignored the value and importance that these islands hold to our nation. As you know, the current Federal Republic of Greenland was formed from the ashes of the Free Association, an Atlantic-centric island nation focused on preserving the freedom and well-being of the peoples and land in the Atlantic. A large portion of that population, as well as mindset, has carried over to Greenland. Many here feel it is our duty to protect the Atlantic in a sense. While I have nothing but respect for Cochin and understand that you do have a vested interest in the Atlantic if not for your military bases and partnership with the U.S.I., you have to realize that your nation is still located across the world from the Atlantic. Would you not be in a similar situation as we are now if we decided to claim islands in the Indian Ocean after edging you in a mad scramble by mere hours?

With a military base already on St. Helena, claiming other islands so close to St. Helena arguably provides relatively little military benefit relative to the diplomatic fallout such a move would create. With your recent dealings I'm lead to believe that you wish to have a greater economic presence in the Atlantic and being on friendly terms with nations in the area would be able to accelerate this. Greenland would be more than willing to open trade and dialogue with Cochin on the matter and I'm sure this would benefit both our nations.

Truthfully, in an ideal world we would not be having this conversation and Greenland would retain control of all three islands. However, this is quite foolish and unrealistic under the circumstances, and I am willing to accept and recognize that Cochin is here to stay and grow in the Atlantic. Greenland is willing to support complete control of St. Helena by Cochin and we propose that Cochin relinquish its claim to Asuncion and Tristan de Cunha. Greenland is willing to make economic concessions for this to happen. Cochin shipping will be granted preferential access for docking and refueling purposes on these islands and we will promise that the islands would not be used as weapon platforms or staging grounds for an assault on Cochin or its assets. You would have the gratitude of the people of Greenland, people that still remember the days of the Band of Brotherhood pact between our two nations."
[/quote]

"We do understand your position regarding Asuncion and thus we do accept that Greenland would have greater need and claim for that island. However Tristan da Cunha is as distant from Greenland as it is from Cochin home territories, considering its remote location at the edge between South Atlantic Ocean and Antarctic Ocean. Also considering the small area of the islands itself and the undevelopable nature of its geography, surely they do not present a military threat? After all since the island lacked even a rudimentary airstrip our forces had to be airdropped! We are willing to relinquish our claims on Asuncion if you agree to do so regarding Tristan da Cunha. We are as interested as you in greater economic and diplomatic relations between us in the long term and perhaps if this discussion is followed by a formal treaty our benevolent intentions may be assured?"

[Californian]

[quote name='king of cochin' timestamp='1308107479' post='2731637']
"We do understand your position regarding Asuncion and thus we do accept that Greenland would have greater need and claim for that island. However Tristan da Cunha is as distant from Greenland as it is from Cochin home territories, considering its remote location at the edge between South Atlantic Ocean and Antarctic Ocean. Also considering the small area of the islands itself and the undevelopable nature of its geography, surely they do not present a military threat? After all since the island lacked even a rudimentary airstrip our forces had to be airdropped! We are willing to relinquish our claims on Asuncion if you agree to do so regarding Tristan da Cunha. We are as interested as you in greater economic and diplomatic relations between us in the long term and perhaps if this discussion is followed by a formal treaty our benevolent intentions may be assured?"
[/quote]

"However Tristan de Cunha is in the Atlantic and is located much closer to Sao Tome and Principe, a full-fledged state and integral part of our nation, than any part of Cochin which can claim the same. Surely if you find the land undevelopable it has no military or economic valuable to your nation? In which case a goodwill gesture of relinquishing your claim would further your interests in the Atlantic at little to no cost to yourself."

[Californian]

[quote name='Lynneth' timestamp='1308062453' post='2731123']
The ships had been tracked by satellite and other means as soon as they got in range of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (henceforth SSI).
When the message for a meeting was sent, the reply came swiftly.
"We arrived here first; We have claimed the islands first. We are already distributing humanitarian supplies, and have further reinforcements on the way.
Greenland is more than 10,000 kilometers away. Give us one reason why we should consider anything but taking control of every last of these islands."
[/quote]

The sailors that arrived at these islands knew their every action was more than likely being thoroughly scrutinized by Sri Lanka and made every effort to be as efficient and quick, while still retaining a sense of common courtesy, as possible. They would not confront the warships and it was made clear that the ships were completely unarmed, as the vessels began to land on the islands.

"You arrived in the general vicinity of these islands first by a matter of hours and have attempted to claim a huge swath of territory none of your men have even set foot on as of yet. We may not be as advanced or as well-armed as Sri Lanka, but we are not going to stand down from our principles and morals when we are clearly trying to be bullied into submission.

The Holy American Empire has made clear it would be unwise to construct a military installation on these islands and they are of little economic value. What purpose does Sri Lanka have for these islands other than a clear case for expansionism? The nation of Greenland also consists of the state of Sao Tome and Principe, amongst others, which are islands in the Atlantic that are much closer to the disputed land in question than the Sri Lankan homeland.

I apologize for my bluntness and I do wish to maintain a tone of civility however it is quite frustrating when you travel across the world to claim a few rocks and fail to see how how any other nation has more valid right to these islands.

In the spirit of diplomacy and compromise, I suggest that South Georgia be jointly-administered by Greenland and Sri Lanka, and that the Traversay, Candlemas, and Saunders Islands go to Greenland with Sri Lanka taking possession of the Central Islands and Southern Thule. I assure you that the FRG has no intention of leaving these islands and we would prefer to work alongside you, rather than against you."

Edited June 15, 2011 by Californian

[Lynneth]

[quote name='Californian' timestamp='1308109822' post='2731663']
The sailors that arrived at these islands knew their every action was more than likely being thoroughly scrutinized by Sri Lanka and made every effort to be as efficient and quick, while still retaining a sense of common courtesy, as possible. They would not confront the warships and it was made clear that the ships were completely unarmed, as the vessels began to land on the islands.

"You arrived in the general vicinity of these islands first by a matter of hours and have attempted to claim a huge swath of territory none of your men have even set foot on as of yet. We may not be as advanced or as well-armed as Sri Lanka, but we are not going to stand down from our principles and morals when we are clearly trying to be bullied into submission.

The Holy American Empire has made clear it would be unwise to construct a military installation on these islands and they are of little economic value. What purpose does Sri Lanka have for these islands other than a clear case for expansionism? The nation of Greenland also consists of the state of Sao Tome and Principe, amongst others, which are islands in the Atlantic that are much closer to the disputed land in question than the Sri Lankan homeland.

I apologize for my bluntness and I do wish to maintain a tone of civility however it is quite frustrating when you travel across the world to claim a few rocks and fail to see how how any other nation has more valid right to these islands.

In the spirit of diplomacy and compromise, I suggest that South Georgia be jointly-administered by Greenland and Sri Lanka, and that the Traversay, Candlemas, and Saunders Islands go to Greenland with Sri Lanka taking possession of the Central Islands and Southern Thule. I assure you that the FRG has no intention of leaving these islands and we would prefer to work alongside you, rather than against you."
[/quote]
"Unfortunately, we have orders not to compromise regarding South Georgia and its surrounding islands. We cannot agree to joint-administration there.
Regarding the South Sandwich Islands, however, we can compromise. They are mostly needed as resupply and radar stations, as well as locations for research of local wildlife and potential resources on the islands themselves, and the continental shelf in the region.
If you agree that no restrictions will apply for any of our ships near your islands, and no restrictions will apply for your ships near our islands, it is possible to split, as follows:
Montagu, Bristol, Belingshausen, Thule and Cook islands go to Sri Lanka.
Zavodovski, Leskov, Visokoi, Candlemas and Vindication do to Greenland.
Saunders is joint-administrated.
As per the following map; Please note that some idiot wrote 'Morrell' instead of 'Thule'."
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/South_sandwich_islands.png[/img]

[king of cochin]

[quote name='Californian' timestamp='1308108294' post='2731655']
"However Tristan de Cunha is in the Atlantic and is located much closer to Sao Tome and Principe, a full-fledged state and integral part of our nation, than any part of Cochin which can claim the same. Surely if you find the land undevelopable it has no military or economic valuable to your nation? In which case a goodwill gesture of relinquishing your claim would further your interests in the Atlantic at little to no cost to yourself."
[/quote]

"Mr. Kristjan, you forget Crozet Islands and St Helena itself which are much closer to Tristan da Cunha than any island territory possessed by Greenland. Surely we have shown the extent of our courtesy by offering to relinquish claims on Asuncion despite our forces being the first to lay claim. Reciprocity is now yours to offer and no, St Helena is not something you can relinquish claim on because at no point in time would our hold over it even be challengable by you. Good will gestures only go so long. Do not expect to twist good will into advantages for you. Tristan da Cunha holds value for us in ways that I am not at the moment permitted to explain to you," KP Varma replied.

[Californian]

[quote name='Lynneth' timestamp='1308128762' post='2731787']
"Unfortunately, we have orders not to compromise regarding South Georgia and its surrounding islands. We cannot agree to joint-administration there.
Regarding the South Sandwich Islands, however, we can compromise. They are mostly needed as resupply and radar stations, as well as locations for research of local wildlife and potential resources on the islands themselves, and the continental shelf in the region.
If you agree that no restrictions will apply for any of our ships near your islands, and no restrictions will apply for your ships near our islands, it is possible to split, as follows:
Montagu, Bristol, Belingshausen, Thule and Cook islands go to Sri Lanka.
Zavodovski, Leskov, Visokoi, Candlemas and Vindication do to Greenland.
Saunders is joint-administrated.
As per the following map; Please note that some idiot wrote 'Morrell' instead of 'Thule'."
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/South_sandwich_islands.png[/img]
[/quote]

"We are extremely disappointed that joint-administration is not possible regarding South Georgia island. We are willing to accept this under the condition that Greenland retain the Traversay and Candlemas Islands, in addition to Saunders, Montagu, and Bristol Islands. You will have the Southern Thule island group in addition to South Georgia Island, which we both know is the most hospitable and strategic of the islands currently being debated. As long as you leave our ships unmolested and do not build military installations with the intention of compromising Greenlandic sovereignty, we will do the same."

[Lynneth]

[quote name='Californian' timestamp='1308180552' post='2732053']
"We are extremely disappointed that joint-administration is not possible regarding South Georgia island. We are willing to accept this under the condition that Greenland retain the Traversay and Candlemas Islands, in addition to Saunders, Montagu, and Bristol Islands. You will have the Southern Thule island group in addition to South Georgia Island, which we both know is the most hospitable and strategic of the islands currently being debated. As long as you leave our ships unmolested and do not build military installations with the intention of compromising Greenlandic sovereignty, we will do the same."
[/quote]
"This is acceptable, with one change: We require a radar station on Bristol Island and full control over that station.
If that is acceptable, then everything else is fine, as well."

[Californian]

The senior diplomat on the other end of the phone mentally rolled his eyes before continuing the conversation. At least they were debating over radar station emplacements instead of preparing to kill each other.

"You can build and man a radar station on Bristol under the condition we be allowed to build and man a radar station on South Georgia."

[Lynneth]

[quote name='Californian' timestamp='1308182483' post='2732073']
The senior diplomat on the other end of the phone mentally rolled his eyes before continuing the conversation. At least they were debating over radar station emplacements instead of preparing to kill each other.

"You can build and man a radar station on Bristol under the condition we be allowed to build and man a radar station on South Georgia."
[/quote]
The man on the Sri Lankan side was no diplomat. He was the captain of the Destroyer near the South Sandwich Islands, though he did get continuous updates via encrypted satellite transmission from the capital.

"Acceptable."

[Californian]

[quote name='Lynneth' timestamp='1308182646' post='2732076']
The man on the Sri Lankan side was no diplomat. He was the captain of the Destroyer near the South Sandwich Islands, though he did get continuous updates via encrypted satellite transmission from the capital.

"Acceptable."
[/quote]

And with confirmation from the Sri Lankans, new orders were given via satellite to the Greenlandic sailors. The men on South Georgia began to board their boats as quickly as they had gotten off, vacating the island. Details about the radar station would be sorted out later.

A diplomatic cable would be issued as soon as word was received the Sri Lankans had done the same. "Greenland recognizes the Sri Lankan claims over South Georgia Island the and Southern Thule island group consisting of Bellingshausen, Cook, and Thule Island. Greenland claims sovereignty over Traversay and Candlemas Islands, in addition to Saunders, Montagu, and Bristol Islands."

[Lynneth]

[quote name='Californian' timestamp='1308183584' post='2732084']
And with confirmation from the Sri Lankans, new orders were given via satellite to the Greenlandic sailors. The men on South Georgia began to board their boats as quickly as they had gotten off, vacating the island. Details about the radar station would be sorted out later.

A diplomatic cable would be issued as soon as word was received the Sri Lankans had done the same. "Greenland recognizes the Sri Lankan claims over South Georgia Island the and Southern Thule island group consisting of Bellingshausen, Cook, and Thule Island. Greenland claims sovereignty over Traversay and Candlemas Islands, in addition to Saunders, Montagu, and Bristol Islands."
[/quote]
With the diplomatic shenanigans done, the Destroyer moved to the south Thule islands to prepare things for a small outpost there. Nothing too big, basically just enough for a medium-sized research station that could double as resupply station for small fleets and submarines.
Meanwhile, troops had landed on South Georgia with reinforcements less than 4 hours away. The few people living here were notified of the change in government, while soldiers and people who wished to go back to Transvaal or Arctica were given the opportunity to do so; They'd have one month to pack up their belongings.

For the time being, South Georgia was scheduled to receive a powerful OTH radar as well as become a resupply point for Sri Lanka's fleets. Militarily, not much would happen. An airfield - mostly for resupply - would be built, as well as a small harbour capable of housing cruisers and smaller vessels. But, for the time being, only the one Frigate would be permanently stationed here, the reinforcement-fleet from Sri Lanka only temporarily until tensions had lessened.
An outpost in the middle of the ocean, far away from any land.

"Sri Lanka recognises Greenland's claims on the South Sandwich Islands, with the exception of the Southern Thule island group.
This group, as well as South Georgia and the islands in its immediate vicinity are Sri Lankan."

Edited June 16, 2011 by Lynneth

[king of cochin]

With the diplomatic deadlock on the matters of Asuncion and Tristan da Cunha, the Cochin reinforcements are holding station to move in at moment's notice. Cochin is determined not to relinquish claims on Asuncion unless and until Greenland rescinds claim on Tristan da Cunha. St Helena is however at the moment being fully militarized as the 4th Marine Division has arrived in force and is using the Maritime Prepositioned equipment of 2MPG to bolster up the security of St Helena which had hitherto being demilitarized outside the naval base as per instructions from Transvaal. All care would be taken to ensure that fortification operations do not affect the islanders. Meanwhile Cochin Embassy in Arctica would also seek to reestablish the St Helena - Transvaal passenger and freight air services that were operated by Royal Cochin Air Force for the assistance of the people of St Helena.

[Californian]

[quote name='king of cochin' timestamp='1308132619' post='2731804']
"Mr. Kristjan, you forget Crozet Islands and St Helena itself which are much closer to Tristan da Cunha than any island territory possessed by Greenland. Surely we have shown the extent of our courtesy by offering to relinquish claims on Asuncion despite our forces being the first to lay claim. Reciprocity is now yours to offer and no, St Helena is not something you can relinquish claim on because at no point in time would our hold over it even be challengable by you. Good will gestures only go so long. Do not expect to twist good will into advantages for you. Tristan da Cunha holds value for us in ways that I am not at the moment permitted to explain to you," KP Varma replied.
[/quote]

"We appreciate your offer on Ascension and have offered the same for St. Helena. We chose not to challenge St. Helena as a courtesy to you and your nation and are not asking you to relinquish your claim on the island. However, we are perturbed that you are trying to lay claim to multiple island groups halfway around the world with little regard to the nations already there. You had men on Tristan da Cunha mere hours before us, we did not try to assert ourselves weeks after any claims had occurred. We are willing to offer concessions, both economic and military, in exchange for recognition of Greenlandic sovereignty of both Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. While the nature of these concessions can be discussed, a baseline agreement that Tristan da Cunha and Asuncion be part of Greenland and St. Helena be part of Cochin must be recognized in order for such an agreement to happen. As has already been mentioned, Cochin ships would be welcome to dock at these islands."

Meanwhile a division of 10,000 Greenlandic marines would be transferred to Sao Tome. Should the situation require it, they would be used to reinforce the few hundred Greenland soldiers currently on the disputed islands.

Edited June 17, 2011 by Californian

[king of cochin]

[quote name='Californian' timestamp='1308286785' post='2732916']
"We appreciate your offer on Asuncion and have offered the same for St. Helena. We chose not to challenge St. Helena as a courtesy to you and your nation and are not asking you to relinquish your claim on the island. However, we are perturbed that you are trying to lay claim to multiple island groups halfway around the world with little regard to the nations already there. You had men on Tristan da Cunha mere hours before us, we did not try to assert ourselves weeks after any claims had occurred. We are willing to offer concessions, both economic and military, in exchange for recognition of Greenlandic sovereignty of both Ascuncion and Tristan da Cunha. While the nature of these concessions can be discussed, a baseline agreement that Tristan da Cunha and Asuncion be part of Greenland and St. Helena be part of Cochin must be recognized in order for such an agreement to happen. As has already been mentioned, Cochin ships would be welcome to dock at these islands."

Meanwhile a division of 10,000 Greenlandic marines would be transferred to Sao Tome. Should the situation require it, they would be used to reinforce the few hundred Greenland soldiers currently on the disputed islands.
[/quote]

"The mere notion that our claim on St Helena can be challenged by you would be a farce considering our long history there. The question here is Asuncion and Tristan da Cunha. We have shown our benevolence in agreeing to rescind our claims on Asuncion provided you rescind yours on Tristan da Cunha. You cannot have it both ways. Failure to resolve this diplomatically would lead to unwanted strife between our nations. Diplomacy, Mr. Kristjan is a matter of give and take. If you do not meet us halfway on this, we are afraid this may lead to a lengthy estrangment between our nations," KP Varma said.

[Axolotlia]

[quote name='king of cochin' timestamp='1308293115' post='2732967']
The question here is Asuncion
[/quote]

OoC: I apologize but this has been bugging me for a bit now... The Island you are referring to if I am not mistaken is called Ascension Island, not Asuncion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascension_Island

[Californian]

[quote name='king of cochin' timestamp='1308293115' post='2732967']
"The mere notion that our claim on St Helena can be challenged by you would be a farce considering our long history there. The question here is Asuncion and Tristan da Cunha. We have shown our benevolence in agreeing to rescind our claims on Asuncion provided you rescind yours on Tristan da Cunha. You cannot have it both ways. Failure to resolve this diplomatically would lead to unwanted strife between our nations. Diplomacy, Mr. Kristjan is a matter of give and take. If you do not meet us halfway on this, we are afraid this may lead to a lengthy estrangment between our nations," KP Varma said.
[/quote]

"You have maintained a military base on lease from Transvaal on the island until now. The only history you have on the island is one of military control in order to promote Cochin interests in the area, rather than the interests of the inhabitants on the island. I call this a contentious history at best, and Greenland is willing to accept Cochin control of St. Helena in order to ease tensions in the Atlantic. If you wish to continue creating unneeded hostilities and try to assert your power into the region without the proper support of local nations and peoples, you will be creating the 'lengthy estrangement' you say you wish to avoid. We are willing to cooperate with all nations that have holdings in the Atlantic, however we will not allow a foreign superpower from across the world to deploy troops and take what it pleases. We may not be as advanced or project our capabilities as well as Cochin but I can guarantee we will not bow to what is looking increasingly like realpolitik bullying from you and your nation.

We cannot and will not relinquish claims to Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Islands. As stated previously, we are willing to offer economic and military concessions as needed to ensure that this issue may be resolved peacefully, but do not think we are unwilling or unable to defend the interests of our nation and the Atlantic peoples. I am well aware what diplomacy is, and you now have the option to avoid a prolonged conflict on this matter."

Edited June 17, 2011 by Californian

[king of cochin]

[quote name='Californian' timestamp='1308329850' post='2733110']
"You have maintained a military base on lease from Transvaal on the island until now. The only history you have on the island is one of military control in order to promote Cochin interests in the area, rather than the interests of the inhabitants on the island. I call this a contentious history at best, and Greenland is willing to accept Cochin control of St. Helena in order to ease tensions in the Atlantic. If you wish to continue creating unneeded hostilities and try to assert your power into the region without the proper support of local nations and peoples, you will be creating the 'lengthy estrangement' you say you wish to avoid. We are willing to cooperate with all nations that have holdings in the Atlantic, however we will not allow a foreign superpower from across the world to deploy troops and take what it pleases. We may not be as advanced or project our capabilities as well as Cochin but I can guarantee we will not bow to what is looking increasingly like realpolitik bullying from you and your nation.

We cannot and will not relinquish claims to Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Islands. As stated previously, we are willing to offer economic and military concessions as needed to ensure that this issue may be resolved peacefully, but do not think we are unwilling or unable to defend the interests of our nation and the Atlantic peoples. I am well aware what diplomacy is, and you now have the option to avoid a prolonged conflict on this matter."
[/quote]

"If you do choose to contest our claims on St Helena that is your choice to do so, it would however in no way affect our sovereignty there. Considering the progress of this meeting, Cochin shall unilaterally be relinquishing claims on Ascension while at the same time continuing on with our securing of Tristan da Cunha. Your troops would be considered illegal hostiles and would be requested to leave peacefully pending which they would be provided transportation. If they use force or in any way obstruct our troops from conducting their duties of securing the islands they would be engaged on with force. Any act of obstruction to our forces would be considered an act of war and would merit limited tactical reaction. Whether to or not to escalate the issue is up to Greenland.

Mr. Kristjan, we are the end of our courtesy here. We shall relinquish our claims on Ascension unilaterally even though we placed our claims first. Greenland can choose to reciprocate, it can choose the path of conflict, the choice is up to you. We shall not relinquish our claim on Tristan da Cunha.

Tristan da Cunha is an island equidistant from both Greenland and Cochin, so do not play the Atlantic Ocean card with us. As regards yes our interests in St Helena had been more or less military but our earlier friends in Transvaal would be able to give testimony on whether or not our influence had been purely militarily or not. Anyway that is an issue we hardly feel the need to explain to you.

So the choice is yours. Diplomacy has been offered, concessions have been offered, let it not be forgotten that it was Greenland which has not made a quid pro quo. Frankly even the notion of relinquishing a claim that was not even made or impossible to made as in St Helena is laughable."

Through a parallel chain of commands, the 4th Marine Division's first maritime battalions started moving towards Tristan da Cunha's beaches supported by armed gunships and GH44 Aerial Artillery Platforms. In Ascension, the 901st Battalion's company of commandos would move towards the beaches where a GH44 from GSF101 would be waiting to transport them back to St Helena.