I find myself in agreement with Councillor Freund. A great deal of damage and destruction has been dealt to Eastern Haane in quite a short period of time. State Elder Areai now appears to be the most in charge, although a great deal of the country is under mob rule, save for some areas in the countryside which are under guerrilla control. However, as always is the case with Eastern Haane, we can't always be sure. We will have to see how this further develops before we act.
I am deeply saddened about the deaths and murders in Eastern Haane. This is an absolute tragedy, and my heart truly aches for them. I hope that the people of Eastern Haane know that they have place in Inquista for them. I have spoken to the Archbishop this morning, as well as with Inquista's Secretary of State, and they have committed to further expanding Inquista's Communist Refugee Program, which will accept as many Haanean refugees as feasibly possible.
I have to say though, there appears to be very few options moving forward with Eastern Haane. State Elder Areai's regime seems to be especially dictatorial, and I'm not sure if it's compatible with the EU. The country's recently announced elections are obviously illegal, and considering that only the People's Front may run for election, it also violates the UDoHR. Moreover, I'm sure that State Elder Areai's regime in general probably opposes and will violate most of the rights afforded by the UDoHR, which will be a problem.
So much death and ruin has already been inflicted upon Eastern Haane, that it'd be both unwise and completely useless to levy any sort of sanctions or retaliatory measures against the country. Besides, I don't believe State Elder Areai will ever vacate from her office until it's quite literally clawed away from her hands.
For me, it's actually a question if whether Eastern Haane wants to remain in the European Union, or if this is perhaps time that we part ways with the country. I'm not sure if there's anything that the EU could offer to Eastern Haane anymore, and more importantly, I'm not sure if there's anything Eastern Haane would even want from the Union. It just appears that we're at a complete crossroads of differing paths.
On one hand, we could send the ERF to bring humanitarian aid to the country, but unfortunately, the country seems to far too dangerous, considering the horrific casualties that were inflicted in just a few hours, and not to mention the guerrilla warfare that is still ensuing in the forests and the countryside. Moreover, I am a bit uncomfortable assisting a brutally dictatorial regime. Of course though, the priority should be to help the Haanean people.
Perhaps we could send the ERF and humanitarian aid to the country, but State Elder Areai would definitely have to make some compromises, particularly in regards to the civil liberties of her people. State Elder Areai would also have to answer questions as to whether Eastern Haane's membership in the European Union is still worthwhile, or if the country has diverged so far from our Union's values, that the country should perhaps leave. These are things that ought to be discussed between the Premier, Internal Affairs Commissioner and the State Elder. When the Commission elections are complete, they should probably meet in Europolis to discuss these things, and see if there is a path forward through this travesty.
Edward Firoux
Council Speaker and Councillor for Inquista