by CCP » Mon Apr 02, 2018 10:26 am
Morrison Administration Welcomes Haldor Overtures- Following a troop review at military bases near the Hawu-Rutanian border today, Minister of Defence Wilburn Battersby Hamšemesses delivered short remarks to the press. Regarding recent diplomatic exchanges with the Federal Republic of Dorvik, Minister Battersby characterized interventions by Dorvik President Bernard Kilburg as positive developments. 'President Kilburg stepping in reinserted some rationality back into this thing, and that's what we've been wanting to see,' the Minster said. Asked if the Administration planned to aqcuieace to Kilburg's request for an apology to the Dorvish media, Minister Battersby replied, 'no, no, no, no, no. Our issue was never with the Dorish media. As far as we know, they have a free press over there, and we understand that with a free press comes all sorts of leanings and allegiances and preferences for this or that political view. You folks in the media are all well-acquainted with the rambunctiousness of our own free press environment here in Hawu Mumenhes. So no, our goal was never to draw into question the independence of Dorvish media, and we fully understand why Kilburg felt the need to step in and defend those standards and his country's democratic reputation,' the Minister insisted. Asked if President Morrison had accepted Bernard Kilburg's apology for 'neglect of Hawu Mumenhes by Artanian countries,' Minister Battersby said no apology was necessary. 'No, no one's neglected The Free Kingdom, that's not what I meant there. Look, the issue's been on both sides of the border and not without good reason. Governments have to look after their countries' strategic position in the world, and fortunately or unfortunately, our strategic position has required that we focus our attentions outside while Dorvik and other countries' positions have required that they ask themselves hard questions about the integrity and security of their positions given that an emergent power with such divergent priorities at times like the Free Kingdom is right next door. So it's not Dorvik's fault, it's not the Free Kingdom's fault, it's not anyone's fault. It's just a delicate situation and the inertia of tradition and the slow-moving nature of bureaucracy has created a situation where it's easier to keep our heads focused on traditional alignments rather than directly confront new developments, and that's something that we're gonna have to address,' the Minister said. Asked if that view was a indication that President Morrison would be accepting Bernard Kilburg's offer to visit Aqqak, the Minister was forthright. 'Yeah, we definitely wanna move ahead with that. It came up in a recent ministerial meeting and the decision was that unfortunately we can't make it a full formal state visit simply because an official state visit would require the presence of Her Imperial Majesty or another Imperial Family member. The Empress is still settling in in Neuhaus and no one really wants to disturb Her Imperial Majesty as she builds a relationship with her new home. The President also made it clear that he wants this visit to happen quickly so that we can capitalize on momentum and he wants it to be a working visit in order to take advantage of some of the important developments being reported in Dorvik and elsewhere.' Asked what developments he was referring to, the Minister of Defence mentioned the war in Kazulia and the expansion of the Dorvish naval fleet. 'We've had plans on the shelf for a couple centuries in fact looking at the implications and possibilities of putting a super-carrier on the water and abandoning the multi-carrier fleet structure especially since our two carriers are very old now and really no longer fit to sail. So this news that Dorvik has gone ahead with it is something that we really welcome because it's gonna provide an opportunity for the first time in world history as far we know to test this new kind of vessel in action. I don't like discussing in public the advice I give to the President, but I don't mind telling you all that in this case I have strongly urged the President to explore a naval observation and study partnership with Kilburg and to take his measure as far as building defense trade and technology exchange relationships are concerned. Now the other thing business has really been pushing for is to find new consumer markets for Hawu Companies along with new importers in some key industries. The uncertainty in Kazulia is really causing some business leaders to fret about the sustainability of the Hawu-Kazulian relationship and many major Hawu corporations have been pushing us for guidance and assistance on entering new markets. Frankly, with the high-cost goods that so many Hawu companies export, there just aren't many economies that can be fruitful structural trading partners, and Dorvik may be one of those few. So we want to begin exploring that possibility immediately because who knows how long it'll be before the worst happens in Kazulia,' the Minister intimated. Asked when a visit might take place, Minister Battersby answered 'immediately. The Foreign Affairs Ministry is setting it up as we speak.' The Minister responded with laughter when asked if he had any final words to say in his tit-for-tat with Esther Fischer, Dorvik's Foreign Minister. 'Look, she's playing for the cheap seats. That's her bread and butter. That's where she comes from, that's where she's most at home, the cheap seats. But international affairs isn't grievance and scapegoating. It's not for amateurs. It's serious business meant to be conducted by professionals. We're happy professionals like President Kilburg and Minister Kayser have finally stepped up in Dorvik and we hope that's something Dorvish voters keep in mind next year when they go to the polls.' (4371ish, contemporary with the Hawu-Dorvish Diplomatic Dispute Regarding the Kurageri Elections)