Zardic World ReportLXVIII Edition Foreign Minister Sabatka Breaks Silence
Belgae, Unkassa
April 4th 3211The recently appointed Foreign Minister of the Federation of Zardugal, Mr. Charles Sabatka may be a new face in the Federation’s Cabinet, but his family is no stranger to Zardic circles of power. Mr. Charles Sabatka is the descendent of former Director-General Lukas Sabatka whom many Zardics would recall as presiding over the Federation during the height of the Federations internal battles over what rights those in the Federated States of Zardugal would receive or whether to move the colonialized Federated States into autonomous sovereign regions. With such a storied history and the re-emergence of the Kostandians in government many political analysts and pundits are keeping a close eye on the rising star of the Federal Republicans of Zardugal.
Foreign Minister Sabatka has been hounded by Z.W.R. for weeks to comment on on-going initiatives being undertaken by the Federation. It is clear much diplomacy is being conducted in private, perhaps more so than usual, and even rarer was no government official tried to intervene with Z.W.R’s reporting of the, up till now, classified dealings with Gaduridos. Mr. Sabatka’s silence was notable given the rumblings being reported by sources close to the Director-General and Foreign Minister that one of Zardugal’s longest and most historic alliances with Luthori and Rutania has come under scrutiny with the Federations actions in Gaduridos.
F.M. Sabatka Keeps Friendly Distance Between the Media and his OfficeMinister Sabatka, earlier today, held a press conference on the steps of the Directorate. There seemed to be more Directors present than reporters, leading Z.W.R. to wonder if the government hasn’t put a black-out on information to sitting Directors within the Directorate as it was clear the Federations legislators were as anxious to hear from their Foreign Minister as we, in the press, were. The full speech will be available online, as Mr. Sabatka spoke for nearly an hour and gave a truly epic sweep of Terran political forces on the move. If nothing else was made clear in his speech, one thing is certain: the Federation’s history for mightily effective diplomats hasn’t waned and Mr. Sabatka’s breadth of knowledge was staggering and, at times, hard to keep up with.
On Zardic Involvement in Gaduridos:”My office has been flooded with letters from various counterparts of mine from across Terra questioning the Federation’s intentions and reasons for signing a treaty of comity with the Republic Gaduridos. Let me be perfectly clear about this. The Federation is a nation unlike any other on Terra. We have strong historical alliances and nothing this government has done has contravened any standing diplomatic relations, whatsoever. If my colleagues in other nations disagree with this, I would advise them to consult the standing diplomatic treaties between the Federation and their homeland. I assure my colleagues both home and abroad I have.”
“The specifics with our arrangements with Gaduridos are nothing more than our nation seeking to establish a pathway to normalized relations with the free peoples of Gaduridos. For nearly a century the proud citizens of Gaduridos have stood tall on their own, free from the oppression of foreign powers. As Terra’s longest standing Republic, we are no strangers to the challenges a democratic government faces and to shut them out of normalized relations does no one any grand favor. By opening up lines of communication with the government of Gaduridos we’re continuing our efforts at reaching out to a broader base of nations.”
“Zardugal is a free country with free markets, and beyond the comity agreement signed with Gaduridos several private firms in the Federation have accepted projects at the behest of the government of Gaduridos. This is no way a slight to any other nation or designed to stir the pot further. I am not naïve nor is this government. We realize the government of Gaduridos is taking positions we do not fully agree with and in some reported and alleged instances are working in various ways to undermine century’s old-alliances with many of the Federation’s closest partners. The same could be said of our alliances I’ve discussed; often times our dear friends take actions we firmly disagree with, but we understand and believe in the right of self-determination here in Zardugal and remain friends and work out our disagreements without a rush to judge as has been applied to this government recently.”
On Rutanian Relations: “In respect to what the Rutanian News Network is reporting, I take exception to the assertation that Zardugal is, in anyway, supporting actions which would undermine or threaten our dear friends in Rutania. For centuries the Federation has stood with Rutania not only as friends, but as active members in the Axis Alliance before the organization was formally closed. Let me state clearly to the government and people of Rutania, if our designs were to harm our relations with Rutania we wouldn’t be discussing a treaty with the government of Rutania and I wouldn’t be talking about the issue in public. “
“On a personal note, I’d like to welcome back the R.E.P. to the scenes of Rutanian politics. Since the departure of the R.E.P. our nations have drifted slightly apart-and this is a shame and we aim to correct this. The Klausenburgs are good people and the citizens of Rutania are blessed to have such marvelous individuals leading their government once more. I will confess, I was slightly surprised by the fact we’d not formalized a treaty of economic, diplomatic and mutual protection with Rutania. Though, lawyers within the Foreign Ministry have pointed out that many existing treaties shared between Rutania, Hulstria and Luthori hold nearly as much meaning as an individual treaty. I agree in legal terms of their summary judgments but, I believe it is in the interests of both nations to see a full and all-encompassing treaty worked out between our two proud and illustrious nations. I look forward to meeting with President Armand Klauseburg and Minister Petunia Klausenburg to settle all the details and once again cement our friendship in the eyes of the international community.”
On the Republican Alliance:“As anyone present here today knows there is a growing tide of Terran wide desire to unite Republican governments under an alliance. Given the Federation’s historic legacy, I certainly would have expected the Republican Alliance to have contacted the Foreign Ministry and they have not. This isn’t to say we’ve not kept our eyes on the ball and haven’t been in talks with various parties, in and out of the would-be alliance. To the best of my understanding, at present, Gaduridos, Aldegar, Keymon, Telamon and Barmenia have formally joined this alliance with the nations of Likatonia and Quanzar considering ratification. I commend the Republican governments for seeking to unite under a common goal, though I am skeptical at this time about their ability to survive as a formal alliance.
In yet another matter the Federation has taken heat for was Director of State Chris Brown (U.N.A.) attendance at a recent meeting of the Republican Alliance. In the foreign cables I’ve read it’s laughable to me to believe that our mere presence is somehow an endorsement of the alliance or as a measure to condemn it. Neither is true. Members of the government in Zardugal are invited to all sorts of meetings and conferences and if people would like to try guilt by association as a means of a diplomatic barometer, I’d suggest they be removed and replaced by a more seasoned diplomat who understands the delicate art of international relations. I’ve no further comment at this time on the Republican Alliance at this time.”
On Majatra Relations:”The Foreign Ministry as well as the Director-General’s office has been conducting talks with Cobura and Vanuku. It is our intention to bring the greater C.M.S.O. back to life and spur economic and diplomatic activity in the C.M.S.O. region. We hope to reach an agreement on the final language of the proposed treaties. At a minimum the Federation is eager to unify immigration policies, removing barriers to free-trade and to strengthen the overall region. A united and peaceful Majatra is considered a vital interest to the Federation and we will use every tool at our disposal to ensure amicable arrangements are made.
Zardic World Report would like to thank the Foreign Minister for his time and a special thanks to Deputy Foreign Minister Sedaris (U.N.A.) for providing us with an advance copy of some of the key points of the Foreign Minister’s press conference. Minister Sabatka didn’t take questions, but is scheduled to appear at Balgae’s School of International Studies and is going to be taking questions from students. Tickets for the event have already sold out. Zardic World Report will be there to cover any breaking news. For a full transcript of the Minister’s remarks please visit us online and don’t forget to tune-in to the live webcast we’ll be hosting on our site of Minister Sabatka at B.S.I.S.
