Kazulia

[Maxington]

HKBC, the Hutorian-Kazulian Banking Corporation, has unveiled its strategy for upwards corporate development in the coming
decades. The growth plan marks the end of the large-scale reorganisation the geographically diversified banking giant has been
undergoing since 4600, something that resulted in a reduction in its global footprint through the disposal of many loss-making
and non-core units worldwide. While the reorganisation plan was essential given the changes in global regulatory requirements
since the economic downturn, it led to a steady decline in revenues for HKBC over the years. The bank is now aiming to grow its
top line over the coming years by focusing its efforts on high-growth areas while keeping costs low and reallocating capital more
efficiently. According to the bank's Chairman, Gustaf Backström, an estimate of 55 krona has been placed for HKBC's shares.

According to Backström, the company intends on continuing to push its expansion into the Keris/Macon, Majatran and Dovanian
markets: Dovani is expected to remain HKBC's key growth area for the foreseeable future, with the bank expected to invest
considerably to garner more business in the economically growing region. HKBC intends to leverage its strong presence in Lourenne
for future growth there, besides continuing to channel investments in the Majatran and Keris/Maconian region. Additionally, HSBC
is also looking to ramp up its wealth management offerings in the aforementioned regions to be able to make the most of the rapid
increase in the number of high net-worth individuals. It has been stated that the efforts will boost HKBC's Dovanian Loan
Portfolio over coming years, drive growth in Dovanian, Keris/Maconian and Majatran deposits and improve profit margins. HKBC is
expected to focus on growing mortgage operations in Kazulia and Hutori and will also drive growth in small business lending by
easing application process. This should help the bank reverse the poor loan growth it has witnessed in the country over recent
years. HKBC has largely exited the retail banking space in Seleya and Artania following its spin-off FirstBaltusian Bank of
Commerce's success, and continues to prioritise the return of corporation's active banking in the regions. With Artania and
Seleya losing their importance in global trade finance to other regions, it is expected that whilst the bank may want to re-enter
the market, it is unlikely that it will move out of the areas of retail banking.

According to statements from the bank's capital investment firm, HKBC aims to release excess capital from its Keris/Macon and
Majatran operations and to transfer this to high-growth areas like Dovanian Retail and Wealth Management operations, and
Transaction Banking. This will allow the bank to report a steady improvement in return on equity, despite the projected increase
in total equity from strong performance. As it has become an extremely important sentiment for the banking corporation, core
infrastructure as mentioned in the government's financial development programme for the City of Skalm, is the backbone of
economic/financial development. It has been stated that the bank would introduce some 10 billion krona in capital to invest into
core infrastructure to bring down operating costs. The Hutorian-Kazulian Banking Corporation remains Kazulia's largest financial
institution after the central banking corporation, Kazulsk Bank. It is expected the bank's development alongside the push for
Skalm towards becoming a global financial centre will boost the bank's international, regional and local operations and improve
its earnings.

[Maxington]

Sorthamnmetall has stated that the steel production industry is making a serious come back, with production set to increase on
buoyant demand from the construction and energy sectors. Crude steel output from the Kazulian steel industry is expected to
increase by 3% in the coming years, reverse decades of contraction according to a forecast by the Skalm Stock Exchange. Kazulian
steel makers were damaged by the lack of industrial activity from heavy metal extractors such as Alternex Verdalros — which
depressed raw material prices. Steel prices are beginning to raise as the government moves to rollback on protectionist trade
policies as upheld by previous governments. An analyst for the Skalm Stock Exchange, Oskar Søndergaard stated that the recovery
of the steel industry was linked to the strong activity brought about by the government's massive infrastructure redevelopment
programme. He stated that the paradigm has shifted whereby underneath previous administrations, market share had been taken from
domestic producers by those operating on the outside through imports, however Søndergaard noted that the activities from
companies such as Warton Danver and Sorthamnmetall would enable for domestic producers to retake market share from imports as the
highly competitive corporations seek to regain their footing in the regional and international steel markets.

It has been noted that the Steel industry had been designated as a priority industry for the government's priority industries
protection scheme, which seeks to impose government protections and support for industries which have created thousands of
employment. Thus the steel industry operates alongside the likes of the oil and natural gas industry, the electricity industry
and the financial services industry. Shares have rallied on the government's National Infrastructure Re-Development Programme
worth around 500 billion Krona. Outlook for the steel industry is strong as the government is expected to impose subsidies to
support the industry's outward expansion. According to the Department of Trade and Industry, an anti dumping duty would be
imposed on steel from various nations throughout the northern hemisphere to single the return of fair market value trading.
Permanent Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry, Gerhard Mølgaard stated that the government was working to introduce
anti-dumping duties on its foreign trade agreements. Dumping is a process where a company exports a product at a price lower than
the price it normally charges in its own home market. Mølgaard noted that the government was committed to prevent dumping within
the domestic market but was also committed to promoting trade on all levels.

[Maxington]

PierPont announced earlier this morning that it intends on investing some 1 billion Krona into a new manufacturing facility in
Asvald, Kelvon. The new facility will produce compounded high-end engineering plastics and adhesives to serve customers in
transportation, electronics, industrial and consumer products markets. The planned site is expected to become operational in 4620
with expansion through 4624. PierPont's CEO, Arild Mathiesen signed the agreement with the State Government of Kelvon. The
facility according to PierPont will support growing demand for Advanced Polymers. Investment in new compounding lines will be
focused primarily on nylon engineering plastics, thermoplastic polyesters, and lubricants and speciality silicone materials. The
site plans to include new production lines for automotive adhesives, and intends to manufacture additional speciality products in
the future, enabling it to be the first multi-business manufacturing facility in Kazulia for the new PierPont. This investment,
in cooperation with the Kelvon government, will enable the company to continue to deliver innovative solutions that serve
high-growth end uses in a cost-effective, responsive way, and strengthen our leadership position in these key application spaces
globally.

According to statements from Kelvon's Department of Industry and Commerce, the plant is expected to be constructed in the
Isaksen-Opland Industrial Park. The Isaksen International Chemical Industrial Park or IICIP, is Kelvon's largest industrial area
and is largely considered to be one of the three industrial parks which make up the Kazulian industrial heartland. With an
expansion of the industrial park set to come in the future, the decision by PierPont to open the manufacturing facility in the
province is a clear indication of a continued growth and confidence in Kazulia's industrial potential. With the Kazulian
automotive industry making a significant come back, Mathiesen stated that he expects automakers to buy more from the plant as
production expands. PierPont is a joint Lourennais-Kazulian chemicals corporation with plants throughout Kazulia and Lourenne and
its expansion into Kelvon alongside the government's push towards transforming Kelvon into the manufacturing centre of northern
hemisphere. PierPont's involvement in the economic expansion of key industries could pivot the company towards becoming the
largest chemicals producer in Kazulia, outpacing the likes of Gasstrien, Alternex and the SP Group, all of whom have limited
their chemical products to petrochemicals and processes requiring oil and natural gas. Gasstrien has stated that it intends on
cooperating with PierPont on the construction of a massive ammonium plant in Asvald alongside its plants to construct a compress
natural gas facility in the city.

[Maxington]

The SP Group and Dallaire Telecommunications announced earlier this morning that they had reached an
agreement to combine into a new corporation to reshape the telecommunications industry in Lourenne by
introducing foreign competition and Kazulia's high telecommunications standards and advanced infrastructure.
According to statements from the SP Group, the merger will would the SP Group enter into the telecommunications
market at a reduced cost and would make Dallaire Telecommunications a stronger competitor alongside Lourennais
telecommunication companies. The proposed all-stock deal values Dallaire Telecommunications at around 10
billion pounds. As mentioned prior the move by the two companies to merge comes as the SP Group moves to enter
the telecommunications market at home and abroad. Currently, Kazulsk Telekom leads the Kazulian market in
telecommunications as most of Kazulia's telecommunication infrastructure had been laid down by the corporation.
Unlike, private companies, Kazulsk Telekom receives government funding as it is a crown corporation alongside the
Kazulian Central Broadcasting Corporation and the Kazulian National Electric Company. In Sekowo, Taikon has had a long streak of
adding customers. Dallaire Telecommunications is a small-time telecommunications corporation based in Lourenne's
capital. It has around 500,000 customers compared to the millions of customers being held by Lourenne's telecom giants.

Dallaire Telecommunications has stated that all of its employees will be transferred underneath the brand of SP Dallaire
following the first quarter of 4622. The SP Group's merger with the company grants it an advantage as Dallaire has
experience in the telecommunications market, and with the SP Group's financial support, SP Dallaire will be capable of
existing alongside Lourenne's telecommunications giants through sheer innovation. Whilst from the top, many see the merger with
Dallaire Telecommunications as being an attempt by the company to expand into telecommunications, insider reports state
that the SP Group's momentum is slowing down as it is being outpaced by corporation at home such as KCB and the
International Technologies Corporation. Since 4615, SP Energy has been rated as the largest private natural gas and
petroleum corporation in Kazulia, however being outpaced by the sate-owned oil and natural gas company Gasstrien and its
technologies business, SP Electronics has been outpaced by the International Technologies Corporation in the business of
computers (laptops, desktops, etc). This reduction in momentum explains why the company has warmed up to
telecommunications, a market which the company not some years ago called "bland and unexcitable".

There have been rumours of a potential jump by the SP Group into media and content. This will allow for the company
to use its wireless business model for SP Dallaire and use content to support the communications business. Whilst
the rumours have not been confirmed from any high-ranking official within the echelons of the SP Group, it had been
stated that the company could be potentially working with the likes of Pixi Media and the Kazulian Central Broadcasting
Corporation on jumping into media-content. Pixi Media currently owns a series of television stations and cinema corporations
thus allowing for the Pixi Group subsidiary to create its own content/streaming service. The Kazulian Central Broadcasting
Corporation, through KCBC Studios n-house production departments; Comedy, Drama (both combined as Scripted in the
new division), Entertainment, Music & Events, and Factual.

[Maxington]

The International Technologies Corporation(ITC), Kazulia's largest technology corporation, has announced its intentions of
opening a 2 billion krona manufacturing facility in Lourenne and Istalia. The announcement comes amidst the companies intentions
to expand its manufacturing base outside of Kazulia. CEO of the International Technologies Corporation, Christoffer Haagensen
stated that the company would be opening its first fabrication plant in Dreton with a multi-million krona investment,
highlighting the importance of the semiconductor market to the Kazulian technology scene. According to internal statements, the
move is aimed at operating between keeping complex manufacturing processes and facilities within Kazulia and licensing production
to external partners. In a press statement, the International Technologies Corporation stated that it had submitted an
application to the Department of Trade and Industry's Section for International Commerce to invest into an advanced chip
production plants in both Lourenne and Istalia. Haagensen said that the move would capitalise on Lourennais subsidies and Faro,
Istalia's special economic area. Recognising that there is potential for the company's processes to be compromised through its
processing plants in both Lourenne and Istalia, it has been stated by the company that by the time both facilities have become
operational, factories in Kazulia would be churning out microchips a generation ahead of what is to be manufactured in the
aforementioned plants.

With the Kazulian Government moving to mandate that companies abide by intellectual property rights having announced its own
commitments to combat intellectual property theft, the International Technologies Corporation has stated that extremely
sophisticated and technically sensitive products will be manufactured in Kazulia whilst the products manufactured outside of the
country will be under partial ownership underneath a joint agreement between ITC and the hosting government or ITC and the
hosting company. ITC's decision stands in complete contrast to other local competitors. According to statements from Surge
Microsystems, the company usually licenses technology in other nations and also established partnerships with the major
technology corporations in a given country. Surge Microsystems is currently in an agreement with the small time Hutorian
technology startup Flexcom to develop advanced chip production whilst Surge Microsystems has licensed some of its chip technology
to smaller firms in western dovanian sub-continent. In the Comprehensive Trade Policies Reform Act, the government recognised
technology theft as a major concern for businesses seeking to expand outside the nation.

According to statements from the International Technologies Corporation, the move to expand its manufacturing base comes amidst a
recent agreement between ITC and upcoming cellphone manufacturers Aurore Mobile and Jansson. Underneath the agreement with
Jansson, ITC will produce 5G chips for the company upcoming cellphone products. The Kazulian Department of Trade and Industry is
moving to revive the chemicals industry. In a report published by the department some days prior, it was highlighted that there
is significant room for cooperation between Kazulian technology firms and Kazulian chemical corporations. It has been stated that
Trade and Industry Minister Jeanett Caspersen will be meeting with the CEO of companies such as ITC, PierPont and SP Fine
Chemicals to facilitate potential cooperation between the firms.

[Maxington]

Moving to revive the national energy sector, the central government is seeking to revive Kazulian ethanol in a major way. Having
been plagued by Market by Mandate policies . The Renewable Energies Standards (RES) sets the volumes of biofuels that can be
blended into the national fuel supply. Gasoline blenders mainly meet their quotas by blending ethanol. Refiners have opposed the
entire concept of being forced to blend ethanol, and for being penalised if they don't. Refiners have spent billions of krona
complying with the ethanol mandates. That cost to the refiners is essentially a transfer of wealth to the ethanol industry.
Scholars have noted that the early stages of the first time development of the Kazulian ethanol industry, it had been heavily
reliant on subsidies and tariffs designed to keep foreign ethanol out of the national fuel supply. Whilst the subsidy collapse at
the turning of the 4500's, the RES remained. Despite the increase in mandated ethanol entering the national fuel supply, it has
never been able to be as prosperous as the government had intended for it to be. Whilst there have been calls for the government
to collapse the RES and to divest from Kazulian Ethanol, a report by the Department of Energy and Energy Affairs concluded that
the sudden collapse of the RES would trigger the immediate collapse of Kazulian ethanol, thus lobbyist for major ethanol
corporations have been continuously pushing for the government to inject emergency capital into the industry to keep it afloat.

On the backdrop of this development, Minister for Energy and Energy Affairs, Bjørn Hartmann has stated that he intends on
transforming Kazulia into an ethanol producing giant. At present, Kazulia particularly the County of Flindar has the potential to
produce around 1.1 billion gallons of ethanol, which account for around 30% of the national total. This is due to major
agricultural programme initiatives launched in the province decades prior to rehabilitate the county's fertile soil. Kazulia
concurrently maintains a energy strategy whereby it will satisfy its own domestic needs before selling the excess as exports.
This is the same strategy used in the ethanol and natural gas industries. The Minister has stated that he intends on introducing
a significant shift in this energy policy. He stated that he wants for Kazulia to produce the products and sell the vast majority
of the product as exports. Gasoline consumption in Flindar ranks the county in the lowest quarters, with statistics from the
National Institute for Energy Policy ranking the states by fuel consumption as follows: Kelvon, Dreton, Agatha, Hent and Flindar.
According to the NIEP, Flindar consumes around 1.5 billion gallons of gasoline per year. According to the NIEP, gasoline blended
with ethanol account for around 90% of the fuel supply. Apart from this, as mentioned prior, Kelvon consumes around 10-20% of the
ethanol it produces, selling the remainder as both a contribution to the national ethanol supply and as exports through a
fraction amount set by the government.

Flindar, due to the fact that it sells off the majority of its produced ethanol to other counties, companies and nations, must
import gasoline and other fuels to meet its energy needs. As mentioned prior, the county produces around 1.1 billion gallons of
ethanol, this could equate to potential self-sufficiency, if it uses the ethanol it produces. Minister Hartmann stated that he
had spoken with Findlar's County Mayor Arnstein Heimark on the potential nationalisation of the county's ethanol industry.
Currently around eight companies operate ethanol producing subsidiaries in the county, and Hartmann has stated that he intends on
pushing the agenda of nationalisation to Prime Minister Kenneth Sivertsen and Trade and Industry Minister Jeanett Caspersen. It
has been proposed that the County Government nationalise the Flindar Ethanol and Chemicals Corporation and transform the company
into a wholly-county owned company known as Flindar Ethanol. Currently, the largest ethanol producer in Kazulia is the PierPont
Chemical Corporation whole centres its ethanol production in Flindar and Hent with significant contributions from plants in
Lourenne and Northern Dovani.

[Maxington]

The Armed Forces' Cold Riposte doctrine is currently being tested on Arenheim by the Kazulian Army Doctrinal Warfare College as
strategic planners within the higher echelons of the Department of Defence question the doctrine's applicability, in competing
against adversaries in a competitive and difficult environment. This new doctrine unlike its predecessor, the Cold Resolve
doctrine, aims to prepare the armed forces to maintain its global edge amidst changing geopolitical conditions. The doctrine
consists of several subordinate doctrines including a particular doctrine which has garnered the interest of defence planners.
Said subordinate doctrine seeks to prepare the armed forces for a scenario whereby the Kingdom stands on its own against numerous
adversaries. Major-General Peter Steffensen, President of the Army Doctrinal Warfare College stated that the doctrine was created
to fight against emerging threats and transform how the armed forces would operate against near-peer adversaries in denied
environments across all domains — sea, air, land, space and cyber. It is expected that the new doctrine could spark another
modernisation programme by the Department of Defence however a white-paper is yet to be published by the Defence Material Agency
for review by the Select Committee on Defence and National Security's Appropriations Subcommittee. To examine the doctrine's
principles and core tactics/strategies the Army Doctrinal Warfare College is currently on the island of Arenheim and in Kazulia's
arctic claim and its actively determining the doctrine's applicability in cold weather climates.

Amidst this, the Department of Defence has brought back the Arctic Lion exercises, which the Cold Riposte doctrine will play an
integral role in. Arctic Lion '23, the first cold weather exercise by the armed forces since the collapsed of the Kazulian
controlled-Northern Council is set to become a combined arms exercise, introducing all branches of the armed forces (army, navy,
air-force, home guard) in a major exercise aimed at combining the doctrines of combined arms and Cold Riposte. According to
statements from the Department of Defence, unmanned drones are becomingly increasingly important amidst the announcement of the
Cold Riposte doctrine. The DoD believes that the introduction of drones to the doctrine would be beneficial in the spread and
gathering of crucial information on the battlefield. The integration of various combat systems under the domain of MDOS
(Multi-Domain Operations System). MDOS, a system of data sharing developed by the Defence Advanced Research Agency, aims at
intensifying the fluidity of data sharing among all branches. It aims to cut down the time by which information move through the
branches from the battlefield to the commander, to the air-force to the navy.

There needs to be more fluidity in how information is passed throughout the branches. Rapid communication and information
sharing is extremely important to determining whether we are operating with efficiency and intelligence or not. I believe that
once MDOS comes into its own alongside Cold Riposte and our combined arms training, we will be able to dominate the battlefield
against any adversary.

The Department of Defence announced a shift in Defence strategy which will move the armed forces aware from low-intensity
conflict and move towards transforming it to exist within a period of great power competition. Minister of Defence Hjalte
Johansen spoke before the media after a meeting with the Defence and National Security Council where he stated that the
Department of Defence was determined to reinvest into the combat effectiveness of the Kazulian Armed Forces.

[Maxington]

The Kazulia-Lourenne Free Trade Agreement came into effect earlier this morning and has been marked as the largest trade
agreement in the eastern hemisphere terms of market size. The agreement revises the previously maintained Kazulian-Lourennais
Free Trade Agreement, focusing on investment flows, worker rights, environmental standards and practices and consumer safety.
Similar to the previous agreement, it drastically reduces tariffs between Kazulia and Lourenne, paving the way for simpler and
faster trade between the two nations, and therefore an increase in volume. The agreement, according to an analysis from the Trond
Heinrichsen Institute for International Affairs, the agreement comes as the government moves to review Kazulia's free trade
agreements, probing their importance to Kazulian economic growth. A report from the Economic Research Institute found that
Lourenne remains an extremely important trading partner to Kazulia having been apart of what the nation calls its "trade core."
The agreement stands in contrast the most free trade agreement currently in effect with other nations. It is the only free trade
agreement to date with provisions aimed at protecting worker rights and promoting consumer safety. Free trade agreements usually
take years to accomplish however, Foreign Minister Dagmar Hedegaard stated that the speed at which Lourenne and Kazulia
renegotiated the trade agreement demonstrated the fact that both nations maintain the same perspectives of international trade.

Kazulia and Lourenne are export-driven economies and strong proponents for free and open trade. Among the largest economies in
the eastern hemisphere and in the northern hemisphere (in the case of Kazulia), trade between the two nations account for around
10% of trade moving through the eastern hemisphere. Trade and Industry Minister Jeanett Caspersen stated that she intends on
expanding trade between Kazulia and Lourenne. The free trade agreement will ultimately remove 100% of the tariffs that Lourenne
applies to Kazulian goods and 100% of those applied by the Kazulia. It is estimated that Kazulian companies will save 1 billion a
year in duties which they currently pay when exporting to Lourenne. A number of longstanding regulatory barriers, for example on
technology exports, will also be removed. The agreement will open up the Kazulian technologies market to key Lourennais
technology products and increase Lourennais export opportunities in many other sectors such as financial services. As Kazulia
will scrap duties on agricultural products, the Lourennais Government stands to gain most from exports of consumer products, such
as cheese, pork, and wines. Kazulia's primary interest in the agreement was to increase its technologies, financial services and
automotive industry exports.

Besides the improvements to consumer protection, workers rights and speeding up investment flows the economic agreement will
strengthen cooperation between Kazulia and Lourenne in a range of areas. It will reaffirm the shared commitment to sustainable
development. Kazulian firms already export more than 58 billion krona in goods and 28 billion krona in services to Lourenne every
year. This will grow, and the strategic partnership will lead to further deepening of Kazulia-Lourenne relations and engagement
across a wide range of global, regional and bilateral thematic issues. It reaffirms the shared values and common principles that
form the basis of Kazulia-Lourenne relations. The new trade agreement should therefore serve to bolster the Dovanian economy and
the wider global economy.

[Maxington]

The Kazulian Government has given the Dankukin Government a years (12 months) to comply with the articles of the Treaty of Asvald
or it will begin the process to level economic sanctions on the nation, the Department of Foreign Affairs warned. The ultimatum
has the potential to herald a renewed era of hostility between Kazulia and Dankuk with serious implications for the wider world.
The Treaty of Asvald serves as to the two barriers to conflict and tension between the two nations. After Kazulia withdrew from
the "Mutual Peace Pact of Dankuk and Kazulia" citing that its articles were no longer relevant as it sought to protect against
the re-establishment of Kazulia's claim over Sørvestland, which Kazulia has long abandoned. The Treaty of Asvald stands as the
last barrier against the return of hostility between Kazulia and Dankuk. If it breaks down, according to analysts from the Trond
Henrichsen Institute for International Affairs, the two nations could be pitted against each-other once more. In a media briefing
in the Foreign Affairs Department building, Foreign Minister Anne-Lise Haugaard stated that Dankuk was in violation of the Treaty
of Asvald once more as it announced that 350,000 troops and associated equipment had massed on the border and that the nation's
air-force and navy would be conducting patrols closer to Kazulian sovereign territory.

This is a serious escalation on the part of the Dankukin Government. The actions taken are extremely provocative and
create room for military miscalculation. The movement of troops towards the border and our economic exclusion zone is a serious
threat to our national sovereignty. We urge Dankuk to comply with the Treaty of Asvald and de-militarise the border
regions.

"The nation's disregard for the geopolitical outlook of the region, it's opportunist mentality and the fact that its leaders
specifically those originating from the current regime are detached from reality and have always stood as barrier to peace and
discussion, is one of the many reasons not many nations in the global sphere choose to view Dankuk as a legitimate state," Niklas
Bentzen, political commentator from the TV Show Good Morning Kazulia said. "Dankuk's relationship with Kazulia has always been
hostility and will continue to be hostile as it battles to maintain relevance in a region that no longer views its status as a
Dovanian nation as "revelant," Sara Dalgaard TV personality from the TV Show The Weeknight said. As it pertains to Dankuk's
violations of both the Treaty of Asvald and the Mutual Peace Pact of Dankuk and Kazulia, the Department of Foreign Affairs
outlined the various violations before members of the media last Friday.

Code: Select all

Act 1:Military and Espionage
1)Neither nation will commit aggressive actions against the other
2)Neither nation will commit espionage against the other
3)Neither nation will enter the others national boundaries unless given permission by the other
4)Both nations honour the others sovereignty

Act 2:Foreign Policy
1)Neither nation will fund any enemy of the other
2)Neither nation will fund terrorist organisations in the other
3)Neither nation will fund nations that threaten the other
4)Neither nation will punish any nationals in the others nation instead deporting them to the other for
punishment

Dankuk has been in breach of these articles by remilitarising the border regions. Dankuk has violated this
breach as the re-militarisation threatens the Security of Kazulia and thus shattered Dankuk's claim of compliance.

Prime Minister Sivertsen stated that he was open to negotiations with the Dankukin Government only if they were willing to meet
on common ground to discuss Kazulia and Dankuk's relationship and to examine the nation's violations of the Treaty of Asvald. He
stated that whilst he would never risk the national security of Kazulia in any negotiation and would never settle for a one-sided
agreement; the premise of continued peace and stability in region rests on the Dankukin Government. Prime Minister Sivertsen
stated that deadline gave the Dankukin Government enough time to approach the Kazulian Government on an extension of the timeline
and begin the process of negotiations.

[Maxington]

Trade and Industry Minister Jeanett Caspersen is currently in Wiel, Vanuku to discuss a partial trade accord that could
potentially come into force next year. Following backroom discussions between officials from the Vanukean and Kazulian
Governments, Trade and Industry Minister Jeanett Caspersen had been directed by Prime Minister Kenneth Sivertsen to meet the
Vanukean Trade and Industry Minister, Karac Dunsrsrmko Kathec. In the interim hours of her arrival in Wiel, Minister Caspersen
discussed with her Vanukean counterpart Karac Dunsrsrmko Kathec the possibility of the two countries’ leaders signing a road map
declaration toward a trade deal. It has been stated that such an arrangement would be signed when Prime Minister Kenneth
Sivertsen visits the nation in 4623. Minister Caspersen and Vanukean Finance Minister Btházr Dnmaisrmko Kez'i discussed the
possibility of a temporary trade agreement that covered all sectors. Such a deal could last for one year. With the Kazulian
Government reviewing its major trade agreements, the potential for a renegotiated settlement with the Vanukean Government could
be beneficial to the government achieving the recommendations of the Comprehensive Trade Policies Reform Act. Kazulian Ambassador
to Vanuku, Gustav Meldgaard stated that some political commentators had been calling for the Trade and Industry Minister to fast
track the agreement, completely ignoring the government's trade policy review.

A wide-ranging trade agreement would increase the potential for business growth as
with all wide-ranging free trade agreements. Various businesses have expressed interest in expanding into the Vanukean market,
especially industrial firms such as Alternex Verdalros and Sorthamnmetall . Technologies firms such as the International
Technologies Corporation have also expressed interest.

Whilst the government is focused on renegotiating and strengthening trade agreements within what it calls Kazulia's "Trade Core",
an agreement with Vanuku could be beneficial to both nations. In reviewing the implications of a potential agreement between the
two nations, it is important to examine what both sides are after. The Kazulian Government is pushing for greater access in
exchange for foreign trade with Vanuku. Apart from greater access, the Kazulian Government stated that greater efforts would have
to be agreed to as it pertains to speeding up investment flows, worker rights, environmental standards and practices and consumer
safety. Minister Caspersen stated that should the road map be agreed to, it would have to outline clear achievement for speeding
up investment flows, protecting worker rights, environmental standards and practices and enforcing consumer safety. She stated
that an agreement that does not ensure the aforementioned provisions are met is an agreement that Kazulian Government would not
sign off on. It is uncertain how the Vanukean Trade and Industry Minister would respond the terms of a free trade agreement with
Kazulia that would push for greater protections for businesses and workers. Meldgaard noted that whilst an agreement similar to
what had been agreed upon and subsequent came into effect between Kazulia and Lourenne could potentially see its way to the
negotiations with the Vanukean Government, it is certain according to Meldgaard that tougher demands will be made by the Kazulian
Government.