Miri Begins Her Destiny

[Voodoo Nova]

Miri, sitting in her bunker, has thought of an idea that she thinks will aid her in her goal of developing tight relations with Slavic nations. She dials the number to her aide "Hello, this is Miri. I would like it if you would send a telegram to the leaders if Slavorussia, Hanseatic Commonwealth, Vaule, Yuktobania and Drakoria. I would like it to invite them to the Capital city of Velsk, in the Imperial Palace."

"Right away Tsaritsa Miri."

A telegram was sent to each of the nations, with the following message:

Dear <Insert Leader>,

I would like to personally invite you to a meeting at the Slavic Empire's Imperial Palace in Velsk, to discuss economic cooperation and other topics of importance.

If you are attending, please state that you are and whom you are sending to represent your nation. This will allow us to accomidate each guest individually.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Tsaritsa Miri

Miri hopes that she can pull this off, especially since the eyes of many nations are upon her, waiting for a false step.

[loannes]

Drakoria's President, Jason R. Drake, sat in his office, quietly reading a bill sent to him by the Senate. The bill would exempt current and retired military personnel from taxation. After reading it, he placed his signature on it and looked up as his secretary walked in.

"Mr. President, there's a message for you from the Slavic Empire." She handed the telegram to Jason. The president read it swiftly and nodded.

"Yes, of course we will attend."

Dear Tsarita Miri,

The Republic of Drakoria has received your invitation to an economic summit. I will gladly accept the invitation, and attend the meeting personally. I will be boarding a plane and arriving in Velsk shortly.

Sincerely,
Jason Robert Drake
President of Drakoria

[Justinian the Mighty]

Premier Medvedev, two of his aides and a representative of the Imperial Family will be there. They will have a standard security team with them.

[Sarah Tintagyl]

There had been much shock when the Slavic Empire had formed out of the Nordic Reich, however as Sarah had hoped, the Nords had been respectable about the secession and the Slavs were a free people, with their own destiny and their own chance to do great things. Sarah smiled as she called Robert D'esrail, her foreign minister into her office. His orders were simple, the Slavs had requested a meeting of the various powers in their region, most notably the Slavic powers and while the Hanseatics were not technically Slavs. Valkurheim, being in Belarus had a very large Slavic population and while many had left for Moscow and St. Petersburg during the Nordic invasion, many had stayed in the city as well. Sarah had done her best to build the city into a modern metropolis that celebrated as much diversity between Slavs, Nords and other peoples as much as she had tried to do in Brisbane and around the Pacific Commonwealth.

This meeting was important. This meeting was the future of the Hansa's Slavic peoples and for that, great care was to be taken. After his audience with the Lady Protector, D'esrail boarded a plane from Brisbane to Valkurheim and from there to Velsk, waiting anxiously for the meeting to begin.

[Voodoo Nova]

Miri walks into the conference room, located in the Eastern wing of the Palace. She is wearing a moderately conservative suit, Dark in color. She notices that representatives from the Hanseatic Commonwealth, Slavorussia and Darkoria have arrived and proceeds to say hello to each, individually. "It seems a majority of us have arrived, and we are waiting for representatives from Vaule and Yuktobania. We should hear from them on whether they will be attending this meeting soon. If neither can arrive or if we do not hear a response, we shall begin."

Miri began some small talk in order to let the time pass and to get to know each of the representatives.

[Imperator Azenquor]

Vaule immediately dispatches Lord Andrei Gaznayev (Director of European and African Diplomatic Affairs) to attend the summit. While the Diplomatic Corps sent a reply, Lord Gaznayev took off from the Novaya Zemlya Regional Airport, in a Tu-144 bound for the Slavic Empire.

Response:

Dear Tsaritsa Miri,

The government of the Vaule Socialist Republic (VSR) accepts your invitation and has dispatched a high level diplomat to represent Vaule at the meeting. HSE Lord Andrei Gaznayev will be Vaule’s representative.

Signed,

Government of Socializte Republika Vauleya

***2 to 3 hours later***

The Tu-144 descends and Lord Gaznayev rushes to the meeting. Once Lord Gaznayev arrives at the venue and introduces himself, he takes his seat and waits for the meeting to begin. Lord Gaznayev notes the presence of Slavorussia's Premier, and makes a quick mental note to call President Karolekov at the earliest opportunity.

[Voodoo Nova]

Miri notices the Vaule representative walking in and greets him.

"I think we can begin now. When the Yuktobania representative arrives, we'll catch him up."

Miri takes a seat at the head of the table and begins the meeting with a proposal of economic cooperation.

"Hello representatives and esteemed leaders. I called this meeting together to discuss economic cooperation, trade and any other topic that could be brought up here today. I propose today a pact that will allow us to not heavily rely upon nations in the western hemisphere, in Africa, and even right here in Europe. We all have resources and material that each of us need, or would like to have. I have control over a large group of oil fields, while Vaule & the Hanseatic Commonwealth have control over a very large portion of natural gas reserves. Vaule also has control over the second largest coal reserve. Oil, Natural Gas and Coal are three major energy sources used in the world, which is something we can export as a group of nations. This pact will open up free trade between all of us during peace time, allow for us to invest in each of our struggling economic sectors. What are your thoughts on this sort of pact?"

She sits back a bit, awaiting responses from the representatives and leaders.

[Razgriz 2K9]

Prime Minister Zakhev quietly read the letter, after which he put it on the desk, and told the Deputy Prime Minister, his son Victor, to run the country while he heads off to Velsk.

<<2 1/2 hours later.>>

PM Zakhev's private jet touches down on Velsk, Int'l Airport. The conference begins after Zakhev arrives at the venue and takes his seat.

[loannes]

Jason rolled the idea around in his head. "It's a sound plan. I know that Drakoria can contribute our fair share in minerals, and we've been making inroads into agriculture north of the Caucasus mountains. I can get a ledger of the types and amount of each resource we produce, and how much we can trade after our own use. On a totally different note, I don't think our economy is struggling at this time."

[Voodoo Nova]

Jason rolled the idea around in his head. "It's a sound plan. I know that Drakoria can contribute our fair share in minerals, and we've been making inroads into agriculture north of the Caucasus mountains. I can get a ledger of the types and amount of each resource we produce, and how much we can trade after our own use. On a totally different note, I don't think our economy is struggling at this time."

"It's not that an entire economy is struggling, as much as it could be individual sectors within an economy that could use a boost of some sort. Like our steel & asphalt industries could use a boost from some foreign investment, just like I am sure there is an industry or sector that could use a small amount of foreign investment."

[Justinian the Mighty]

I wish we could be a strong economic partner, but to be honest we have very few exploitable natural resources these days. We’ve been reduced dramatically in size and our economy is on the brink of collapse and all attempts to revive it have been unsuccessful. The only thing holding Slavorussia’s economy together is the increase in government and defense jobs. However it would be very helpful if the Slavic Empire ended the silly oil embargo imposed on us by your friends and former countrymen the Nords.

[Voodoo Nova]

I wish we could be a strong economic partner, but to be honest we have very few exploitable natural resources these days. We’ve been reduced dramatically in size and our economy is on the brink of collapse and all attempts to revive it have been unsuccessful. The only thing holding Slavorussia’s economy together is the increase in government and defense jobs. However it would be very helpful if the Slavic Empire ended the silly oil embargo imposed on us by your friends and former countrymen the Nords.

"We ceded from the Nords for good reasons, and consider the oil embargo lifted. No matter who we are as neighbors, we all have common goals and that is surviving, growing and prospering, so we shouldn't be hindering each other in these long term goals."

[Imperator Azenquor]

Lord Gaznayev replied:

“While we appreciate the benefit of increasing trade ties between our nations, I must state that it is the policy of the government of Vaule that no Free trade agreements that involve the elimination of tariffs be signed by our government or any representative thereof. We are willing to discuss the prospect of trade at reduced tariff rates, within the structure of Vaule’s quota import restrictions. Regarding exports, we are willing to engage in co-operation with other nations regarding exports of certain materials.

Regarding Vaule’s energy sector, we would be more than willing to increase production, as well as to negotiate terms for investment in the sector, and its non-Vaulian counterparts, and in the Vaule State owned energy firm VAECO. As long as the investment is strictly monitored by our government and is compliant with our laws, then we foresee no obstacles to such an agreement. We would also be more than happy to reciprocate by providing investments in other economies under the proposed pact.”

[Voodoo Nova]

Lord Gaznayev replied:

“While we appreciate the benefit of increasing trade ties between our nations, I must state that it is the policy of the government of Vaule that no Free trade agreements that involve the elimination of tariffs be signed by our government or any representative thereof. We are willing to discuss the prospect of trade at reduced tariff rates, within the structure of Vaule’s quota import restrictions. Regarding exports, we are willing to engage in co-operation with other nations regarding exports of certain materials.

Regarding Vaule’s energy sector, we would be more than willing to increase production, as well as to negotiate terms for investment in the sector, and its non-Vaulian counterparts, and in the Vaule State owned energy firm VAECO. As long as the investment is strictly monitored by our government and is compliant with our laws, then we foresee no obstacles to such an agreement. We would also be more than happy to reciprocate by providing investments in other economies under the proposed pact.”

"I think we can all agree that while free trade is good, that we won't have a huge issue with reduced rates." Miri looks around the move at the other representatives.

"What would be the rates reduction, and what would be the import restrictions the nations of this pact must adhere to when trading?"

Edited June 5, 2009 by Voodoo Nova

[Sarah Tintagyl]

"A question your Excellencies." D'esrail roes from his seat. "Will these talks be applied across the board for us or is this only our own personal relationship with the Slavic Empire. For instance, the Hansa maintains above average relations with the Slavic Empire, in the recently signed Treaty of Velsk-Brisbane. However, we have no relations with Slavorussia, Drakoria, some with Vaule, and minimal with Yuktobania. Something that the Lady Protector would like to see is the possibility of webbing our relations out at least in the forms of economic agreements at first. We are still in some portion of isolation, but hopefully that will be coming to an end."

"What I'm getting at more than anything, will these talks be consolidated or stay independent?"

[Voodoo Nova]

"A question your Excellencies." D'esrail roes from his seat. "Will these talks be applied across the board for us or is this only our own personal relationship with the Slavic Empire. For instance, the Hansa maintains above average relations with the Slavic Empire, in the recently signed Treaty of Velsk-Brisbane. However, we have no relations with Slavorussia, Drakoria, some with Vaule, and minimal with Yuktobania. Something that the Lady Protector would like to see is the possibility of webbing our relations out at least in the forms of economic agreements at first. We are still in some portion of isolation, but hopefully that will be coming to an end."

"What I'm getting at more than anything, will these talks be consolidated or stay independent?"

"This meeting is meant for all of us, as a group of nations, to work together for economic cooperation. I want this to benefit us all."

[Imperator Azenquor]

"This meeting is meant for all of us, as a group of nations, to work together for economic cooperation. I want this to benefit us all."

"As clarification has been given regarding the proposed pact of economic cooperation, Vaule must regrettably voice our reservations with signing an economic pact that includes Slavorussia. We have no diplomatic ties with them whatsoever, and we have little desire to establish such ties. We have several issues with Slavorussia both political and economic. We feel that this provides an obstacle to our entry into such an agreement, however we are willing to continue to discuss the matter in detail"-Lord Gaznayev

Edited June 7, 2009 by Imperator Azenquor

[Justinian the Mighty]

I’m glad you brought that up Lord Gaznayev. Please excuse me if I’m wrong, but Vaule’s “reservations” seem to have surfaced only after the Slavorussian government directly accused Vaule of abandoning us during a very distressing time. At the time the majority of Slavorussian’s though of Vaule as one of our closest allies, the fact that Vaule was even conflicted about defending Slavorussia was completely mind-boggling.

Even more concerning is the fact that we had previously informed all RUSSIAN members of the warning signs of Nordic aggression. However many of Vaule’s officials ignored the warnings and still flirted with the Nordic governments, eventually signing a paper thing NAP which technically they violated hours later when they invaded your MDP partner. The fact that Vaule was the single greatest hindrance in the war is also quite troubling. Closing jointly owned railways and claiming them to be owned solely by yourselves, prevented the Northern Empire and Crimea Iso from assisting, then combined with Bosporan leaving the war, fallowed by Azerbaijan, and Altin Urda never even answering the our calls for help were quite a moral breaker. By the time your flimsy force arrived our soldier’s spirits had already been broken.

In comparison when Vaule was invaded early on in RUSSIAN’s existence, all RUSSIAN nations sent troops immediately. The idea that Vaule would surrender a singly acre of land was incomprehensible, and in the end we prevailed. Our combined might caused the collapse of two Asian superpowers only days after the war began.

I hope now you can see why we feel the way we feel.

[Imperator Azenquor]

Lord Gaznayev chuckled to himself for a moment and then calmly replied:

“We take matters regarding our sovereignty extremely seriously, so we apologize in advance for discussing another matter at this conference. We did not prevent Crimea Iso, or the Northern Empire from intervening in the conflict. To say so is reckless and slanderous. Crimea Iso is a sovereign nation capable of making its own decisions, and more than capable of deploying its military should they choose to do so.

Firstly, regarding the Non Aggression Pact signed by the government of the Vaule Democratic Republic, the pact was not violated when Slavorussia was attacked as it was a pact between Vaule and the then-Nordlandic Confederacy and not with Slavorussia or RUSSIAN. After the situation arose in which there was a conflict between the two treaties the government of Vaule declared neutrality in the conflict while a solution was found. While the Prime Minister and Imperatrix aggressively advocated continued neutrality, our President and Parliament pushed for the necessary measures to rescind the Non Aggression pact.

Of course, before this process reached a result, our sovereignty was violated by the RUSSIAN pact in a manner which shocked and appalled the government and people of Vaule. After expressly sealing our borders and restricting the movement of military equipment through our borders under our Neutrality Declaration, the RUSSIAN pact violated our borders and used the RUSSIAN built railroad to send military equipment to your government. Although the railway was constructed as a joint project of the RUSSIAN pact, at no time was there a stated agreement that each nation rescinded its ownership of the land that the railway was on, or ownership and control of their borders. If this was the case, we would have never permitted the railway to be built through our territory.

This action constituted an extremely intolerable violation of an explicit decree by our government which helped to cement the view in the eyes of a significant portion of the populace that we had simply become the RUSSIAN pact’s “enforcer” in the region. Many people believed that the RUSSIAN pact had deliberately sought to undermine Vaule’s neutrality in order to force our entry into the conflict. We had every right to halt the illegal shipment of military equipment across our border, or even to destroy it as a risk to our security, but we permitted the first convoy to pass through unhindered and voiced our protests which were ignored. The railway fiasco provided a significant setback to the political movement in Vaule to end the Non Aggression Pact.

After a political solution failed to yield results, President Yuri Rokossovsky took the unprecedented step of carrying out a coup to remove those who sought to block the process. This coup resulted in the rise of the Vaule Socialist Republic, which as you have conveniently forgotten, immediately cancelled the Non Aggression Pact and hurried to your aid.

As for our “flimsy force” arriving, we find it deeply insulting that soldiers who were sent to assist Slavorussia are referred to in such a manner. The reason the force was small, was that they were only an initial force. By the time their reinforcements were slated to be deployed, Slavorussia had already surrendered unconditionally to the Nordlandic Coalition.

It seems that Slavorussia has saved its stinging rhetoric and the blame for their defeat for Vaule and has leveled no such criticisms against the other RUSSIAN pact nations who took absolutely no steps to assist Slavorussia whatsoever. This suggests that the Slavorussian government believes that arriving late to assist your allies is worse than not assisting at all.

These numerous accusations and the failure to provide the necessary evidence backing up these claims indicate the main reason why we do not trust the government of Slavorussia as we once did, and probably never will again. We are open to the idea of opening a dialogue, but we are skeptical that it could yield any results."

Edited June 7, 2009 by Imperator Azenquor

[Justinian the Mighty]

“Take this into consideration for a moment, if you will. Look at a map, you’ll see that Crimea Iso and the Northern Empire would have to move troops and equipment through Vaule’s waters or over it’s land to get to Slavorussia. The fastest and safest route. Otherwise they would have had to sail through the Arctic Sea or around the world to reach Western Europe, neither were reasonable options. So you see you did prevent Crimea Iso and the Northern Empire form offering assistance when you closed your waters and your borders to all foreign armed forces.

To me it sounds like you think we blame you completely for the war, the deaths resulting from the war our surrender, and loss of territory. Well that’s obviously not true, but your actions only gave the Nords the advantage while giving your so called allies the disadvantage. These are not just baseless opinions from a single politician, the facts where there for the world to see. If you recall the timeline of events preceding the war, Nordic nations prepare for “military exercises” we put our military on alert and inform our allies of the situation. Several weeks pass, we remained on high alert, Vaule and Nordheim officials meet in Vaule and sigh a NAP, other NC nations fallow suit. Hours later NC forces enter Slavorussia and massacre border populations by burnng the forests and bombing cities.

Could you honestly tell me you didn’t see it coming? It’s clear to us they played you like fine tuned piano the fault isn’t yours alone, but common sense would dictate that after building up large armies on the border with Slavorussia an invasion would soon fallow. You don’t need excesses of 800,000 troops thousands of military vehicles and aircraft for military exercises. We’re not just “saving our stinging rhetoric and blame” for Vaule but it’s obvious that our interests were not even the least of your concern. Rest assured if Altin Urda and Bosporan still existed we would have stern words for them as well. We never trusted the Nords, not for one moment, but we trusted Vaule to be at our side the moment things got rough. Perhaps that’s our own fault, for being so relying on our allies.”

Premier Medvedev sighs, and puts an unlit cigarette between his lips. “If Vaule doesn’t wish to do business with us we wont try to convince you. Slavorussia and Vaule can just pursue relations with the other countries here independently… Is it ok if I smoke in here?”

[Voodoo Nova]

"Yes, you may."

"Gentlemen, leave the past behind. You cannot change it, only learn from it. Move on from the past, and start working towards a better future. We can do that here, we can start working towards that future here."

[loannes]

"I agree with Tsarita," Jason said. "Your nations can cooperate, even if they don't necessarily have a deep liking for each other. But think. Grudges cannot cure the past. They can only create a sour future."

[Razgriz 2K9]

Yes, that is indeed true. Maybe you should have talks with each other and try to ease tensions, these aggravations are not good for the prosperity for each of your countries.

[Imperator Azenquor]

"Vaule has set clear preconditions for holding any meaningful dialogue with Slavorussia. The first condition is that the government of Slavorussia either back their allegations up with hard evidence, or cease making their allegations regarding our previous government's stance. The second condition is that the Slavorussian government retract their false statement regarding the ownership of the RUSSIAN railway network. It is our view that only if these conditions are agreed to, will there be a prospect for any kind of normalization of diplomatic ties.

Despite our apprehension about trading with Slavorussia, we are still open to the prospect of trade with the other nations represented here. If necessary, we are prepared to sign individual agreements with all nations represented here with the exception of Slavorussia. While we agree that it is necessary to move on in the name of progress, we refuse to do so when faced with false allegations"-Lord Gaznayev

[Justinian the Mighty]

Everything I’ve said just now is backed with facts. Vaule’s strategic location combined with the government’s stance of neutrality prevented Crimea Iso and the Northern Empire for several days. Like I said if you look at a map both nations would have had a hell of a time getting to Slavorussia without going through Vaule’s territory. Whether you were being used by the Nords with or without your knowledge, I think it was a bad decision to look the other way, even for a minute, while a friend is being attacked.

In regard to the railroad all I’ll say is, just like a publicly traded company, each RUSSIAN nation had stock in the Railroad. Each nation had a vote over how to use the rails, where to build them, and who or what could use them. Although it’s unfortunate that Vaule’s neutrality wasn’t respected, our Northern and Crimean allies felt their duty to defend Slavorussia was greater than Vaule’s neutrality. We did not instruct them to do what they did, but like I said, they did what they felt they had to do. Anyway, if you like the Slavorussian government can pay for damaged that resulted from foreign soldiers being transported through Vaule, just send the bill to my office or the Foreign Ministry HQ.

…

Now back to business. Right now Slavorussia’s is in the middle of an economic recession. The situation is very fragile and could change at the drop of a hat. We’ve slowly increased government spending to prevent a economic collapse, much of that extra spending comes from the revenue collected from tariffs.

We can agree to reducing tariffs, but not at a high rate. I think it’s better to ease into economic treaties rather than rushing in and regretting it later.