Diplomats Return from Indrala
Details evacuation and future status of Kalistani-Indralan Relations
Kaliburg, Ananto District
June 10, 3985
Ambassador Helmer, Ambassador to Indrala, with staff returning to Kalistan
The Kalistani Ambassador to Indrala, Hon. Drake Helmer, returned to Kalistan today along with the remaining members of the Kalistan Embassy following the orderly evacuation and closure of Kalistan's embassy. Ambassador Helmer, who will remain credentialed to Indrala, gave a brief statement:
"Today, I, along with the rest of the diplomatic mission to the Celestial Empire of Great Indrala, completed our evacuation of the Kalistani Embassy at Tian'An. We have ensured that all top secret documents relating to Kalistani Activities within Indrala have been recovered, as well as all cryptography and all hard drives from our computers. We thank the Government of Indrala for their kind treatment of me and my staff, as well as their forbearance as we completed the transfer of our materials to our transport. The police force of the Capital City is to be especially commended for their willingness to suffer the slings and arrows of the Indralan people, who have been whipped into a stiff froth by demagogues in the public space against Kalistan, and who bore tremendous ill will toward my staff and I. The Head of the Kalistani Consulate has assured me that all Kalistani Nationals in the country who wanted to return to Kalistan have done so, and to date, the only Kalistani nationals who remain in the country, which has recently become very dangerous for Kalistanis, are 14 individuals who are completing business transactions which they are contractually bound to complete before returning, and 3 young couples who zealously wish to remain among the Indralans to serve as Missionaries for the Society of the Brethren. Within a week, those 6 individuals will be the only Kalistanis remaining in Indrala, and we call upon the Indralan Government to ensure their safety as they go about their work of conscience.
While we understand the conditions of our departure from Indrala, we would like to take a moment to question the motivation of Indrala in provoking the Nation of Kalistan at sea. Again, we read in their press this repeated charge of countenancing Piracy. It is an old trope, to say the least. Neither I, nor my staff have ever been presented recent evidence of said actions against legitimate Indralan commerce. These notorious claims, which imply Kalistani complicity, if not downright involvement, are unconscionable. It is the policy of the Government of Kalistan, as I have repeatedly made clear to my counterparts in Indrala, to not endorse piratical activity, nor to participate in it, nor to hinder legitimate trade through our waters. What is provocative to Kalistan is the persistence of Indralan warships off our coasts. They have maintained time and again that their ships remain in international waters, while the Law of the Sea Treaty, to which Indrala is not a Party but Kalistan, along with every other nation in Selaya, is, describes fully International Waters as beginning 500 Kilometers from the shore, outside the area of transient jurisdiction. If this is the case, then no waters between Ananto and Dovani is truly "International", and certainly not water which can be clearly seen from Ananto! And yet, we provide evidence to Indrala of their trespass, and they insist, yet again that our closure of the ocean is illegal.
The policy of Kalistan has been one of patient pressure. It has not yielded the results Kalistan has sought. If something is not done, Kalistan must answer these provocations. And it will. We are not prepared to say at the moment what that will involve, but it will be adequate to meet the security crisis Indrala is provoking in Kalistan. This is all. We bear no ill will toward the people of Indrala- we have long viewed them as equals and as brothers and sisters. The actions of Indrala's government, on the other hand are intolerable."
Helmer's statement was followed closely by consultation with the Premier and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.