Yugoslavian-Greek Diplomacy

[Yerushalayim]

Ambassador Aletea Remis hadn't been to Yugoslavia since before the great war. The fighting had clearly taken a toll on the country, and though rebuilding was well under way, the scars of war took time to heal. She supposed that a similar image would be found in Greece, for those who had not visited in some time. Aletea gave a small mental shrug and braced herself. She pushed through the doors into the meeting room, gave a nod to the Yugoslavian who was waiting for her, and introduced herself with the decorum that was appropriate to her position.

Edited November 27, 2014 by Yerushalayim

[Rudolph]

Private

 

Standing besides the conference room's plain looking but tasteful table, the Kralj of the Kingdom turned and smiled at the Ambassador, "It's a pleasure to finally meet for the first time, Ambassador Remis," he greeted as he gestured to the table, hoping his guests would sit in order to get the meeting on track, "I hope you'll enjoy your stay within the famed White City of our kingdom."

[Yerushalayim]

Aletea settled into her seat, placing a small folio on the table in front of her. “Kralj,” she spoke the language of Yugoslavia, though with a clear Greek accent, “it's been too long since I visited your nation. Not since before the war. It's good to see that your rebuilding efforts are going well.”

 

She flipped open her folio and glanced down at her notes within. “As we all rebuild, and the world returns to normalcy, it is imperative that lines of communication remain open, most especially between neighbours. To this end, Greece proposes a dedicated telephone line between your office and that of our Prime Minister, so that red tape and bureaucracy cannot interfere with any communications that are of utmost importance for our nations.”

[Rudolph]

Private

 

Dragojev blinked at the proposal before finally nodding, "Consider it done post-haste on our end, Ambassador Remis," the Sovereign answered with, "I do thank you for the kind words, the Kingdom has certainly been busy rebuilding after the costly war we both survived," he added before smiling politely at the foreign dignitary.

 

As he finished two employees entered the room, each carrying a tray filled with refreshments and goodies to tide the two representatives over. The Sovereign of the Kingdom simply requested a glass of water and nothing more, the servants carrying a myriad of different drinks. "It is good to see that Greece now stands on her own two feet once more, Ambassador Remis. It pleases the Kingdom that our southern neighbor is resilient."

[Yerushalayim]

Ambassador Remis requested a cup of coffee, which she took black, and sipped gratefully on it. She made a soft appreciative noise before setting down the cup and continuing, “Thank you. In addition to this line of communication, Greece proposes a formal relationship between Yugolsavia and ourselves in the form of the Eastern Mediterranean Community. This would be in the form of open trade and non aggression pacts, and commitments to resorting to diplomatic measures first and foremost in case of any conflict of interest.”

[Rudolph]

Private

 

The Kralj raised an eyebrow, "And what exactly would this...'Easter Mediterranean Community' entail in detail? Would other Mediterranean nations be involved or is this simply between the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Hellenic Republic?"

[Yerushalayim]

“Well, at the moment,” Aletea let out a soft laugh, “there are no other Eastern Mediterranean nations. If nations were to rise in Albania, Turkey, the Holy Land, or Egypt, they would be able to join and gain the advantages of a stable region. For now, though, it would be just Greece and Yugoslavia, as the only existing nations in the region.”

[Rudolph]

Private

 

"May I suggest a different name in that case then?" asked the Kralj, "Since it is more than likely that more Mediterranean nations will rise, I find it more feasible to be inclusive of the rest of the Mediterranean and name the intergovernmental organization the Mediterranean Union, representing a more vast repertoire of nations than simply the East Mediterranean."

[Yerushalayim]

“While Greece is open to such an organization, we are primarily keen on establishing regional ties at the moment. We are already on friendly terms with Yugoslavia, and so have no concerns with offering such an agreement to you. We do not, however, have such relationships with all of the Mediterranean, and it take time for Greece to get to know the nations within this larger sphere. It is for this reason that we have taken the more narrowly focused approach, of first securing our immediate area. I trust that you can understand this reasoning, given your own troubles with a volatile regional neighbourhood in the past.”

[Rudolph]

Private

 

The Sovereign pursed his lips, "Understanding this, then why pursue such a vast regional organization considering that the Balkans themselves are a region unto themselves on Europe? Why not pursue something smaller in which other Balkan nations who rise in due time can participate freely without having to tie themselves to other Mediterranean powers if that is not their wish?" he asked the Ambassador.

 

"Do not mistake my questions as hesitance of the Kingdom to participate, we just feel the need to ask questions concerning the scope of the organization so the Kingdom knows what it might expect from it and its fellow organizational members."

[Yerushalayim]

“The answer is simple; Greece views itself as a Mediterranean nation, first and foremost. Our security concerns are likely to arise in two locations: The Black Sea, and the Mediterranean. It's more likely that new nations will arise along these areas, where access to the seas provides access to trade, than that new inland nations will rise up in the Balkans. Quite simply, the Mediterranean covers our bases far more adequately than the Balkans would.”

[Rudolph]

Private

 

The Sovereign nodded in understanding,  "A simple solution to this then, name the organization the Eastern Mediterranean Union and in the eyes of the organization it sees the Black Sea as an official extension of itself, just a sub-part of it in order to maximize the efficiency of both trade, communications and diplomacy with all within the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea."

[Yerushalayim]

Aletea cocked her head to one side and set her now empty coffee cup aside. “I'm afraid I don't see the sense in declaring the Black Sea to be a part of the Mediterranean. The Black Sea has a very different ecology, a different environment, and a different political reality. For example, the only other Black Sea nation at the moment is Russia, whom exists upon the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, and the Barents Sea. Their political situation, and their position, is very different from that of Greece or Yugoslavia, or any of the other Eastern Mediterranean nations that might rise up.”

[Rudolph]

Private

 

Once more the Kralj nodded, "Yes, we do know that the Mediterranean and the Black Sea are different, the Kingdom however does not see much point in creating numerous small organizations like say one for the Mediterranean and another for the Black Sea when an umbrella organization with different departments under it will work best and more efficiently in our eyes, Ambassador."

[Yerushalayim]

Aletea gave a short shrug. “Regional political organizations have a long history. They serve many purposes. Greece is not looking to unite the world, or even all of Europe. We are looking to establish a relationship with our immediate neighbour, with the possibility of expanding this relationship to other neighbours should they arise. It is neither our place, nor our desire, to form an umbrella organization to unite the disparate polities of the world.”

[Rudolph]

Private

 

The Kralj chuckled once before smiling, "We do not mean an organization like the likes of the League of Nations or the former United Nations, Ambassador, the Kingdom does see benefit in regional organizations, just not incredibly small ones like say a future Black Sea-leaning organization. That is not to say that we would not make overtures towards said organization if it's proven to be just as efficient as other examples we've seen before in our eyes, but the Kingdom naturally would...shy away from such small organizations. Regardless, due to the fact that it is you, Greece, coordinating this effort, we would be willing to have faith in our southern neighbor's intents."

[Yerushalayim]

“Well, I'm certainly glad that Yugoslavia places such trust in us. Does this mean that you will agree to join with us in stabilizing the Eastern Mediterranean as part of the Eastern Mediterranean Community, or Union?”

[Rudolph]

Private

 

The Kralj smiled wider at the Ambassador, "Yes, that it exactly what we mean. The world needs stability more than ever and the first steps in doing so is to establish these groupings to begin with, Ambassador Remis, and the Kingdom hand in hand with the Hellenic Republic shall lay down the foundations of the Eastern Mediterranean Union."

 

Dragojev snapped his fingers and a pen and a piece of paper were handed to him, the Yugoslavian King scribbling onto the piece of parchment, taking his good time before he passed it towards the good Ambassador along with a clipping of a newspaper, "I do hope that the treaty text is good enough as it stands, and while we're talking matters of state, I wish to make it known that the Kingdom will be fortifying its borders now that our rebuilding is coming to a close. I wish to make it known, Ambassador, that this is nothing against the Hellenic Republic but a harsh lesson that the Kingdom and its people were forced to learn at the hands of its former 'neighbor' in Romania."

 

"One that we will never forget as long as the Kingdom stands."

 

 

OOC: Treaty Text:

[spoiler]

Eastern Mediterranean Union

In the interest of a stable and prosperous eastern Mediterranean, the sovereign nations of the Hellenic Republic and the Kraljevina Jugoslavija agree to come together and usher in the creation of the Eastern Mediterranean Union, with all the benefits, privileges, requirements, and regulations outlined in this founding document.

 

Article I. Sovereignty

Members shall retain their sovereignty. Members of this Union hereby agree to recognize the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their fellow members and shall agree not to take any action to undermine the aforementioned sovereignty or territorial integrity, nor shall members permit their territory to be used for such a purpose.

 

Article II. Non-Aggression

Members shall agree not to undertake any act of aggression, be it overt or covert in nature, against their fellow members. Acts of aggression include, but are by no means limited to: military action, espionage, blockades and embargoes.

 

Article III. Trade

Members pledge to encourage increased trade and economic cooperation where such cooperation is possible. All shall agree to identify economic sectors in which tariffs on products from fellow members may be reduced. Members are highly encouraged, though by no means obligated, to lower trade tariffs in the aforementioned economic sectors.

 

Article IV. Further Cooperation

Members shall explore areas of further cooperation between themselves and shall reserve the right to amend this agreement (on the basis of mutual approval) to include such bilateral cooperation.

 

Article V. Membership

Additional members may be added upon an unanimous vote of the current membership. Prospective members will only be considered upon an official sponsor from a current member or a fulfilled application filed and dated by the prospective member. Members may be removed by a three fourths vote from all members on serious grounds of going against the spirit of the Union.

 

Article VI. Withdrawal from the Union

Should any member feel that this Union is no longer in the best interests of their nation, they may proceed to withdraw from the Union provided that the notice of the intent to cancel the Union is communicated simultaneously to the other members embassy and government. Once the notice of the intent to withdraw is received, there shall be a seven day (OOC: 48 hours IRL) period before the member shall be considered fully withdrawn from the Union. During this period, members remain bound still to the withdrawing member by the terms of the Union.

 

Signed,
For the Hellenic Republic,

For Kraljevina Jugoslavija
Dragojev Belojevic, HM Kralj

[/spoiler]

Edited November 28, 2014 by Rudolph

[Yerushalayim]

The Ambassador leaned over to glance at the news paper article, then shrugged. “We do what we must to protect our nations. Greece has been busy ensuring that our defenses are prepared in case of any conflict on our soil, as well. I see no reason for concern over this. It is not as though either of us has any designs on the other, or would take actions to threaten the other, eh?” She laughed and left the clipping on the table. She pulled the treaty text to her, glanced at it, and gave a short nod. “I'll need to pass this to my superiors, but I suspect it will be signed.”

[Rudolph]

Private

 

"That is excellent news, Ambassador. Before we end this meeting, I'd like to raise the point of a 'Capital' for the Union. Seeing as it is just the Hellenic Republic and the Kingdom as its members currently, I wish to request that a capital be made official once Union membership has reached at least five members. At least that way, others can voice and add their input for potential cities capable of hosting the Union's headquarters."

[Yerushalayim]

"This is acceptable to Greece."

[Rudolph]

Private

 

"The Kingdom is serving our ally in Greece advanced notice of our intentions of sending soldiers into the territory of former Albania, where several thousand Yugoslavian volunteers are diligently working on a highway connecting it to the Yugoslavian Autoput "Bratstvo i Jedinstvo" (Highway Brotherhood and Unity). This is in an effort to safeguard the volunteers, their workplace and current living quarters until their job is finished. If Greece has any concerns, please send a reply back as soon as possible so we can move forward and continue working as good neighbors and allies."

 

Respectfully,

Kralj Dragojev Belojevic

[Rudolph]

Private

 

"The Kingdom is serving our ally in Greece advanced notice of our intentions of sending soldiers into the territory of former Bulgaria for the intentions of protecting and ensuring that peace, stability and order remain for the safety of the citizens living within Bulgaria. This is in an effort to safeguard and ensure that banditry does not spark simply due to the lack of a national government. If our ally in Greece has any concerns, please send a reply back as soon as possible so we can move forward and continue working as good neighbors and allies.

 

Best wishes to the Hellenic Republic."

 

Respectfully,

Kralj Dragojev Belojevic

[Yerushalayim]

[Private]

“Yugoslavia's notice is received and acknowledged. You have our thanks for the timely notice. Greece will be deploying troops to Bulgaria to secure the region. For the purposes of mutual security and cooperation, Greece requests that Yugoslavia withdraw its forces from the area, and allow Hellenic forces to maintain the security and protection of the region. In return Greece will recognize Yugoslavia's protection of Albania.

 

Sincerely,

Prime Minister Arista Pappadopolous”

[Rudolph]

Private

 

"The Kingdom must apologize but we shall not remove our forces in the region for the Kingdom sees the Bulgarians as natural brothers and sisters, having history in being allied before they had collapsed. In the interest of mutual cooperation and regional security, the Kingdom would be more than happy to have Hellenic forces supplement the forces already established in Bulgaria as long as overall administration of the territory remains in the Kingdom's hands.

 

Best wishes to the Hellenic Republic."

 

Respectfully,

Kralj Dragojev Belojevic

Edited December 15, 2014 by Rudolph