March 4421Historic Aldurian visit to Lourenne- Président du Conseil Ministres and Foreign Minister meet with Lourennais officialsA New Era for Aldurien-Lourennais diplomacy?The fate of entire nations often falls to the chemistry of their leaders, if there is truth in that statement, we can look forward to many long, happy years of friendship with Lourenne after an historic visit from the Aldurien Premier and his Foreign Minister. And it all kicked off with warm greetings from their Lourennais counterparts. There was a clear rapport between the officials.
Afterwards, the Premier visited the Place de la Défense, taking note of beautiful splendour of it, before addressing several thousand Lourennais, at one point declaring:
"There is more that unites than divides us- We must forget old quarrels and reforge ancient bonds. We are one people you and I, more than Aldurien, Lourennais- And the same of those citoyen of Rildanor and Kanjor- We are one people, one nation- united by that now long forgotten testament... *Pause* Well I do not forget! Remember with me, friends: Je suis un citoyen Canrillaişe!"
This was followed by rapturous cheering with chants of "Je suis un citoyen Canrillaişe!"
Invigorated by the euphoric welcome from their countrymen, the Aldurien delegation then visited some of Lourenne's most historic sights, before moving onto the Government Comple for a conference discussing enhanced cooperation between the two nations. This publication understands that the Président du Conseil Ministres made clear his government's expansion of military spending and his determination to continue this course of action, a fact relished by Lourennais officials who presented advanced plans for Alduria to enhance its military capabilities, a task which Henri Dimont has previously described as having been "neglected by previous administrations". It also appeared as if Henri Dimont had finally developed a clear position on the question of the Fédération de Canrille, of which Alduria is the only Canrillaise nation not yet to be a member of, and appeared to lean towards joining the Federation and talked of a "possibility of joining the Federation" while addressing the Lourennais Chamber of Deputies afterwards where he also said:
"Alduria cannot survive in this world alone, nor can Lourenne, Kanjor or Rildanor- But Canrille just might."
Later that evening the delegation attended a dinner at the Lac de Lumières, hosted by Madame President D'Orléans and her husband, also attended by various Lourennais officials. That night the Aldurien delegation stayed in guest rooms at the luxurious Presidential palace before leaving the next day at Noon via plane. After stepping foot back on Aldurien soil, Henri Dimont was immediately pressed for comment and he said the following:
Foreign affairs is no fickle business- Often a nation can offer too much at negotiations, or concede an ally by offering too little. The same is true for our relations with the other nations of Canrille- Do we sacrifice the sovereignty of Alduria in order to make one nation out of what is now 4? Do we turn our backs on such an arrangement and alienate our friends and allies? Perhaps the answer is found in compromise between these ideas. Still yet, there are other issues which must be addressed- What of the Imperial Commonwealth for instance, would the Federation compromise a commitment to that body? These are all questions that I have considered over these past months, throughout my tenure as Premier, and indeed before it, from the political periphery. As I have already established, we deal with dangerous questions, and danger must be responded to with strength, and so, I must now respond with such strength- bold leadership. The previous administration dodged this question, I am not my predecessor, and so I will now speak candidly. I as the Premier of this country, as leader of le Parti National-Libéral, which has an overwhelming majority in Parliament, have decided that Alduria must accede to the Fédération de Canrille Treaty, and, accordingly, will join this Federation. I will battle for this cause within my party, cabinet and in parliament, and will cooperate with anyone who wishes to further this goal. I will also now engage in discussions with my cabinet and party, to discuss the viability of continued membership in the Imperial Commonwealth in the case that Alduria joins the Federation. This will of course involve discussions with the Sovereign, the Federation, and the Imperial Commonwealth respectively. In light of recent discussions with the Lourennais government, I will also be endeavouring to ensure further cooperation in various fields, largely military and economic in the coming months- This will include increased military spending in addition to the commitments already made by this government. I only wish to add the further point that I very much enjoyed my visit to Lourenne and thank the Lourennais government and their people for such a warm welcome. Thank you- there will be no further quesitons.
This decision from Henri Dimont is sure to cause discomfort from many in his backbenches and even his cabinet, many of who would have serious questions over Alduria's sovereignty in such a super-national union, furthermore, the Premier- should he succeed in Alduria's accession to the Fderation- may find himself in a difficult situation with the Imperial Commonwealth, and indeed its supporters within Alduria, who may not take kindly to an alternative body, more worryingly is that in this regard there could be a potential crisis between the Premier and the Monarch, thrusting Alduria into a constitutional crisis. The question now is how the interested parties will respond to this change in foreign policy approach. Already, one prominent backbencher has declared: "This is a fundamental betrayal of Alduria and her sovereignty, the Premier must reevaluate whether he truly believes in Aldurien values and customs.". There have also been rumblings of discontent from the royal court and its supporters.