Internal Affairs Commissioner - Caspian Countries: Negotiation Table
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Juncker noted down the most standing out phrases that the Reitzmic Prime Minister said, as Metodi's proposal, which in his opinion was just what he proposed but with quite a better wording and some terms which were really good:
"Mr. Bridges, Europe is not paying for, with loads of respect, a silly project which nearly brought the Caspian Sea to a bloody war. Those islands are a threat to other Caspian countries and to the European stability as a whole, and I am not tolerating this region to become a place of war instead of peace, of rudness instead of kindness. I have seen enough rudeness from yourself today, and I don't want more now. Said that, the European Union isn't a place where you summit with other countries, you reach an agreement and then you do what you want ignoring everything that took place to save the Caspian. I hardly doubt Inimicus would attack Reitzmag without a causus belli, so please get serious and forget about all the little films you have made in your mind concerning the different EU countries and their thoughts about Reitzmag. There are no ATC problems on the Caspian, fishermen doesn't need an island to pitstop, and please stop telling us what you want us to believe while, an hour or so ago, you told us you wanted the islands for money, benefits and defence. I think we can all be a little bit silly, myself on first place of sillyness if this is a contest, but I still get to remember what you said an hour ago.
Indeed I know Reitzmag has its interests, and Copala City, Pravoslaviya, North Diessen or the United Duchies do to, but we can't stick to those interests when we are the nation which could lose people, territory and even their honour and reputation for this. Reitzmag made this crisis to appear because your country, Mr. Bridges, was the one who built the islands. You are the only responsible of meeting with me and the others here, because this could have been easily avoided if your country had some sort of diplomatic capacity! Now, you'll blame the European Commission because we are not neutral and that caracteristic stuff which I've been hearing for the last months coming for you and say we don't defend the Reitzmic interests on this treaty, but tell me, how the hell are we supposed to defend something that it's non-sensical? Did you really expect everyone to applaud the idea of building islands in the middle of the Caspian, annexing those waters with no permission? Because I wouldn't have expected it. The Kiel Canal, by the way, it's controlled by the United Duchies and they are allowed, as you would be if you had a canal, to allow however you wanted to pass. You are not in a good position to tell the others what to do, Mr. Bridges, so please stick to the point where we try to solve this problem and not to make a war up of a project which only made the Caspian zone to being seriously thread by war.
Moreover Mr. Bridges, Copala City is indeed an autonomous territory, which is not independent from you, not from Icholasen. And I want to adress the Governor-General that as per the Treaty of Buckingham modified by Reitzmag, you are the Head of State of those mentioned autonomous territories, but not according to the at the moment legal Treaty. If you didn't know, a Treaty cannot be ammended if signatory states don't agree on those terms, and as far as I know, Icholasen hasn't got a word on that, so that amendment is not valid. I won't manifest my wishes for Copala City, because that's not up to the European Commission or myself, but the Copalans, the Copalan Government hereby represented by Ms. Romanov and Reitzmag. Therefore, you adressed me as a biased mediator, something I disagree with seeing how I could have proposed harder measures if I really hated your country, which by the way I don't. But Mr. Bridges, you cannot pretend to get my help on a matter that no one in this round table or in Europe approves. I've not seen any statement, any press release in which anybody supported the islands' construction. And I won't enter on the argument about the problems, but I want you to remember about the park summit between myself and President Aguilar from Spain in this very city.
Mr. Key, I promiss this Commissioner won't compromise any of your treaties because, basically, you are not guilty or responsible of what is going on in the Caspian Sea. I want to thank Metodi for his proposed Treaty, which will be great for us and I'm willing to accept, because I consider it much better than my proposal. Ms. Pekcan, I think we share the views towards what it's happening right here. I hope to see a sort of agreement, and I'm willing to listen you all. But my cocnerns about these islands are increasing every time their purpose changes, and that make them dangerous. Thank you very much."
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John Peter Key replied " I agree with the Metodi treaty its a good compromise for all our concerns.I'd also like to say despite the threats and bad behaviour we have put up with should Reitzmag sign this will be put behind us, for the good of innocent Reitzmic citizens and companies we want to see a resolution and we would reimplement our previous free trade arrangements , we are contrary to what Simon Bridges believes "out to destroy Reitzmag" , we just want Reitzmag to be a good citizen in the Caspian community and work together for the best for al all Caspian residents."
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"Listen Mr. Juncker, the Treaty of Buckingham states that National Laws in the Kingdom of Reitzmag apply on Copala City and all the other autonomous territories. They passed a law to establish the Governor-General as the head of state which means that this man is in fact the legal Head of State of Copala City. Next Mr. Juncker, you claim to have helped in the negotiation of the Spanish-Reitzmic Trade War, however the truth is you don't. It was me who invited Mr. Aguilar to Europolis and I didn't even invite you, but then you randomly popped into the scene and then saying you finally fixed that problem! And now you also think those islands are a threat to the other countries when we can see that the United Duchies had allowed foreign military ships to the Caspian for an exclusive access. We were concerned about that and in fact that was the main reason why we were making these islands. Which is, in case of an attack, they will find it harder to navigate through these islands which are frontline strongholds of our Armed Forces. Now if you want us to remove those islands if you want to then we will do it in exchange for no foreign military access to the Caspian in any way possible, including the Kiel Canal." said Simon as he sat down.
"That is what I want, if you can't make for that then we don't have a deal!" he shouts while sitting down.
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Finally John Peter Key snapped saying " Look Simon Bridges I will say this in plain english.Our canal which we invested in means our rules and you have been told multiple times its a treaty obligation. Unlike Reitzmag we treat treaties and conventions with respect. The irony is you talk about us being "controlling" when we've tried nothing but compromise yet you want to tell us who we can and can't let through our canal which we paid for. Now I want to make this clear as a day, sign on the dotted line or sanctions do return and trust me that won't be pretty, its that simple and it won't just be United Duchies we have whole regional backing on this issue, that is not a threat it is reality, you cannot just build islands in international waters and expect not only no response but also support, like it or not there are conventions to follow."
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Jean-Claude Juncker was astonished. While he was trying to reach an agreement, Simon acted like if he wanted a war, he wanted his people to suffer. Juncker could lose his neutral status, but that wasn't what he needed to do right now. While being on a neutral position, something that doesn't exist on Bridges' universe, he needed to remind Simon about how silly those Islands are, how concerned Caspian countries were and finally, reaching an agreement was the only thing that could save Reitzmic citizens lf a conflict they didn't deserve to suffer. He thought and thought, and finally, he came up with the exact words to say on that room. He then asked for the floor to be given to him after John Peter Key, and as nobody wanted to talk, he went on:
"Simon, please calm down and listen to me. I won't enter on the disputes you are trying to open for 2 reasons, it's not the moment and secondly, we need to fix this problem before tackling the others. I have always offered Reitzmag my help if needed, and once again I remind you about that. But you need to understand this agreement is necessary, with no conditions over other countriws because they aren't guilty of this islands. I can guarantee I would be acting the same way as right now if any other country had decided to do the same, but today you are, unluckily, the one who has to listen to all of this. I feel sorry for you Simon, even if now you cannot believe.
But the fact that I feel sorry for you doesn't change my opinion on the matter. The European Commission is not sided, but chooses the idea which, in its opinion, would be the best to solve the conflict. Sometimes, we agree with one side, another we agree with the other side, and in other meetings we have our own proposal which doesn't come from any of the sides. This time, we agreed with the opposite side to you, but if you had brought up a better idea then you'd have my support. But now, think on what could happen if you refused to sign this: maybe harder sanctions, even a war. I don't want your people to suffer Simom, nor I want you to feel bad. The proposed Treaty does not only let you convince on the Caspian Assembly the other countries about your ideas, but gives a chance to Caspian Countries first before the EU decides what's best to do with the islands. The Kiel Canal is subject to another Treaty, and should any military boat try to invade Reitzmag, I can ensure you will have my support if the war has no justification, with my most absolute mediation to avoid more deaths. You have my honest word.
Simon, I ask you to think on my words and if it's worth to risk your country's future because you don't want military boats from other regions on the Caspian or because you think they are invading you. I can ensure you they are not going to invade Reitzmag, because they have no reason to do so. And about the islands, I think you shall not worry about their proposed destruction. Simon, Reitzmag has lots of business which make your country economically diverse, so those Islands' supposed benefits could be gotten from other sectors if you apply the correct measures. You can do it, you just need to believe and sign this Treaty to end with this for once and all. I hope you consider my kind words, and finally accept this Treaty."
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"Now you are speaking softly Mr. Juncker, trying to please me as I have told the truth. Although from your words, I had been advised a while ago that the National Security Council and the Cabinet had voted that we will unilaterally move those islands closer to our coast and continue the operations to the designated area for Phase 2. We will agree as long as we will be given commercial access to the Kiel Canal which serves as our main trade route without any disturbance. That canal decides the future of our country and we want access back as soon as possible. And here is the variation of a treaty proposed by my Cabinet which had been wired just a while ago." said Simon before presenting the draft via projector.
PREAMBLE
We, the Caspian Nations, wishing to achieve our aim to restore the Caspian political situation to its previous peace and friendliness, agree on the following terms:SECTION I – THE CASPIAN REGIONAL AUTHORITY
I. The members of the Caspian Regional Authority shall be the Kingdom of Reitzmag, the United Duchies, the Kingdom of Pravoslaviya, and the Confederacy of North Diessen.
II. Any other sovereign state with a coastline on the Caspian Sea is entitled to become a member of the Caspian Regional Authority.
III. Every member of the Caspian Sea Authority is entitled to one vote on the Caspian Council.
IV. The Caspian Regional Authority recognizes that each member is entitled to 20 nautical miles of territorial waters from their contiguous coastline, and 200 miles of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
a. Each member has within its EEZ exclusive economic rights over the exploration and exploitation of marine resources, including, but not limited to, fisheries, mining, drilling for oil or gas, and renewable energy sources.
b. Each member may share, lease, or sell some or all of its economic rights in its EEZ to other entities.
c. EEZs are not part of the member’s territorial waters, however, each member may impose certain restrictions within its EEZ in any the following areas of concern:- Sea-borne transit
- Airborne transit
- Aquaculture Activities
d. The Caspian Council shall by majority vote adjudicate on any disputes between members over their maritime boundaries.
V. The Caspian Regional Authority is responsible for oversight of the non-territorial waters of the Caspian Sea.
a. The Caspian Regional Authority shall not hinder the following activities of its members in the non-territorial waters of the Caspian Sea:
i. Trade, shipping, and commerce
ii. Public transport
iii. Border security
iv. Search and rescue
v. Routine naval exercises
b. The Caspian Regional Authority may restrict Caspian access of vessels both from the air and sea registered on certain countries outside the Caspian Region. -
John Peter Key looked over the proposed changes with the foreign minister . They were astonished, some things were acceptable but alot wasn't. They got up and spoke. " We can agree to a 20 mile territorial waters but there should be no islands or bases in the EEZ's and to be frank it should be up to us who we allow in our territorial waters and EEZ's. Joint patrols with our allies has helped us secure our waters and police fishing violations and dumping among other issues. That is why we have them. I can however agree to no military patrols outside of EEZ's in Caspian Authority zones , perhaps a joint coast guard presence from all countries to enforce Caspian agreements is an answer here , we need an enforcement mechanism but it does not neccessarily need to be a military. I think that is a reasonable compromise for us all , and we need unaminous votes on any developments such as islands or reefs in the joint zones or EEZ's as these affect us all."
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Juncker wished to achieve another thing instead of what Simon had proposed, sonhe gave the floor to himself and spoke once again:
"I cannot accept the offer you made entirely, Simon, because 20 miles aren't what other countries are able to recognise according to what they have said during this summit. But I can add up the request concerning Copala City, which would need to be accepted to the Caspian Sea Authority by an absolute majority voting on the Council. This is how the Treaty would look like now:"
PREAMBLE
We, the Caspian Nations and the European Commissioner of Internal Affairs, wishing to achieve their aim to restore the Caspian political situation to its previous peaceful and friendly one, agree on the following terms:SECTION I – THE CASPIAN SEA AUTHORITY
I. The members of the Caspian Sea Authority will be the Kingdom of Reitzmag, the United Duchies, the Kingdom of Pravoslaviya, the Confederacy of North Diessen, and the Autonomous Territory of Copala City.
a. The Autonomous Territory of Copala City shall be admitted to the Caspian Sea Authority if an absolute majority of the Caspian Council accepts them into the Caspian Sea Authority.
II. Any other sovereign state with a coastline on the Caspian Sea is entitled to become a member of the Caspian Sea Authority.
III. Every member of the Caspian Sea Authority is entitled to one vote on the Caspian Council.
IV. The Caspian Sea Authority recognises that each member is entitled to 12 miles of territorial waters from their contiguous coastline, and 200 miles of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
a. Each member has within its EEZ exclusive economic rights over the exploration and exploitation of marine resources, including, but not limited to, fisheries, mining, drilling for oil or gas, and renewable energy sources.
b. Each member may sell some or all of its economic rights in its EEZ to other entities.
c. EEZs are not part of the member’s territory, and no member has the right to construct artificial islands, or conduct any business outside their proper economic rights, in their EEZ without the unanimous prior approval of the Caspian Council.
d. The Caspian Council shall by majority vote adjudicate on any disputes between members over their maritime boundaries.
V. The Caspian Sea Authority is responsible for oversight of the non-territorial waters of the Caspian Sea.
a. The Caspian Sea Authority shall not hinder the following activities of its members in the non-territorial waters of the Caspian Sea:
i. Trade, shipping, and commerce
ii. Public transport
iii. Border security
iv. Search and rescue
v. Routine naval exercises
VI. No country may construct artificial islands beyond their territorial waters without the unanimous prior approval of the Caspian Council.SECTION II – ISLANDS
I. The islands constructed by the Kingdom of Reitzmag in the Caspian Sea beyond its territorial waters as determined in Section I, Clause IV of this agreement (hereafter, ‘the islands’) will have their future decided by the Caspian Council.
II. In the event that an absolute majority of members do not agree on what to do with the islands, the European Commission shall decide what to do.
a. In this event, the European Commission shall act in accordance with its proposal, expressed during the negotiations for this agreement, that the islands should be destroyed in an environmentally friendly manner.
III. In the event the Caspian Council votes to destroy the islands, the islands must be destroyed in an environmentally friendly manner, aimed at restoring as much as possible the biosphere before construction of the islands commenced. -
John Peter Key indicated agreement with the Juncker latest proposal.
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"We're happy to support your latest draft, Commissioner."
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Victoria Romanov listened carefully and then say: "If we are an obstacle for Reitzmag to accept this Treaty, we accept the latest proposal coming from you Mr. Juncker, so we have to be accepted as any other member state or territory in the Caspian. We just want piece on the territory, and I hope we finally reach an agreement and get to work all together to solve this conflict."
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Juncker saw Reitzmag didn't answered, so he started to think on what to do. The United Duchies' representative gave them a draft they had made on their computer from his proposal, and then, he started to make the changes he saw necessary to do before speaking once again:
"It seems Mr. Bridges didn't like the last proposal, so I'll propose another draft for the treaty. This is more benevolent with Reitzmag, as I can understand Mr. Bridges' comments, but I cannot understand to win a ficticious battle, Simon. Anyhow, here's the new Commission proposal, made from a draft which Mr. Key has given me:"
PREAMBLE
We, the Caspian Nations and the European Commissioner of Internal Affairs, wishing to achieve their aim to restore the Caspian political situation to its previous peaceful and friendly one, agree on the following terms:SECTION I – THE CASPIAN SEA AUTHORITY
I. A joint Caspian Sea Authority shall be founded with 1 seat for each member state on a Caspian Council with voting powers to set fishing policies, economic policies and any development of Caspian outside of Territorial Waters and operate on a 55%+1 majority for approval of any new policies or projects. There may be sub-committees with 1 seat for each member established. These shall be appointed or elected in a manner as seen fit by the member state in question.
a. Any new developments in Joint Caspian Sea Authority Zones shall be subject to benefit and environmental impact reports and funded and owned jointly by Caspian Sea Authority.
b. Any development in Joint Caspian Sea Authority Zones are subject to unanimous Caspian Council approval.
c. A joint Caspian Aviation Traffic Control shall be established for safety of Aircraft and Shipping with control of all territory outside of territorial waters managing that territory as an international zone.
d. A HQ nation shall be established by majority of 55%+1 of members to host the Caspian Sea Authority.
e. The Caspian Sea Authority budget and financial decisions shall be decided by 55%+1 of members.
f. The Caspian Sea Authority shall be funded by proportion of GDP that nations contribute to Caspian GRP.
II. The members of the Caspian Sea Authority will be the Kingdom of Reitzmag, the United Duchies, the Kingdom of Pravoslaviya, the Confederacy of North Diessen, and the Autonomous Territory of Copala City.
a. The Autonomous Territory of Copala City shall be admitted to the Caspian Sea Authority if an absolute majority of the Caspian Council accepts them into the Caspian Sea Authority.
III. Any other sovereign state with a coastline on the Caspian Sea is entitled to become a member of the Caspian Sea Authority.
IV. Every member of the Caspian Sea Authority is entitled to one vote on the Caspian Council.
V. The Caspian Sea Authority recognises that each member is entitled to 24 miles of territorial waters from their contiguous coastline, and 200 miles of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
a. Each member has within its EEZ exclusive economic rights over the exploration and exploitation of marine resources, including, but not limited to, fisheries, mining, drilling for oil or gas, and renewable energy sources.
b. Each member may sell some or all of its economic rights in its EEZ to other entities.
c. EEZs are not part of the member’s territory, and no member has the right to construct artificial islands, or conduct any business outside their proper economic rights, in their EEZ without the unanimous prior approval of the Caspian Council.
d. The Caspian Council shall by majority vote adjudicate on any disputes between members over their maritime boundaries.
e. In the event that shores are closer the halfway point will be used as a divider.
f. In cases of less than 200 miles between land masses territorial waters borders shall be set at halfway point between nations after territorial waters.
VI. The Caspian Sea Authority is responsible for oversight of the non-territorial waters of the Caspian Sea.
a. The Caspian Sea Authority shall not hinder the following activities of its members in the non-territorial waters of the Caspian Sea:
i. Trade, shipping, and commerce
ii. Public transport
iii. Border security
iv. Search and rescue
v. Routine naval exercises
VII. No country may construct artificial islands beyond their territorial waters without the unanimous prior approval of the Caspian Council.
VIII. The Caspian council shall oversee fisheries policy outside of territorial waters or EEZ’s.
IX. Any Waters beyond 200 miles shall be treated as joint Caspian Management Authority Zones.SECTION II – ISLANDS
I. The islands constructed by the Kingdom of Reitzmag in the Caspian Sea beyond its territorial waters as determined in Section I, Clause IV of this agreement (hereafter, ‘the islands’) will have their future decided by the Caspian Council.
II. In the event that an absolute majority of members do not agree on what to do with the islands, the European Commission shall decide what to do.
a. In this event, the European Commission shall act in accordance with its proposal, expressed during the negotiations for this agreement, that the islands should be destroyed in an environmentally friendly manner.
III. In the event the Caspian Council votes to destroy the islands, the islands must be destroyed in an environmentally friendly manner, aimed at restoring as much as possible the biosphere before construction of the islands commenced. -
Metodi Pravoslav's eyes rolled and he let out an exaggerated sigh
"Everybody round this table was fine with the last draft - I think that would include North Diessen - but Mr Bridges is stonewalling us. If Mr Bridges has a problem with the last draft, it's for him to redraft it and say what he wants; it's not anybody else's duty to start throwing out random concessions in the hope he'll start talking."
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Juncker nooded in agreement and said: "Bloody true, Mr. Pravoslav. But, we need to trust on this draft aswell. We all except Mr. Bridges agree on the first one, so it's up to Mr. Bridges to choose between the first one or this one. I also want to make clear something: I won't draft another proposal of this treaty, I think we have had enough and many concessions have been given. Mr. Bridges, this negotiation needs to come to an end today, it's up to you. Both proposals are reasonable."
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The Duchies PM said " That is brilliant Juncker we definitely would like to sign to get this all over. It has our support."
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Victoria Romanov nooded once again and took the floor: "We also agree with this Treaty. Let's see if Mr. Bridges does too. C'mon Simon, I think that you'll get nothing better than this." Said the Copala City's representative.
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"May I review the original proposal from the United Duchies without any revisions?" said Simon.
The document was passed to him as he reviewed it for a couple of moments before continuing to speak.
"I am only in favour of the original proposal from the United Duchies without any revisions from the arbiter." he said before getting back onto his seat, drinking water, and furiously looking at the other people especially Mr. Juncker.
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Juncker got the original paper and spoke: "Mr. Bridges, what it was removed from the original proposal were things like this:
- "Signatory nations shall be able to lease Reitzmag Islands from Reitzmag for 1,000,000 Euros per nation per year with rights to develop land and projects subject to Reitzmag approval." I think everybody here said that they are not paying for the, with loads of respect, stupid islands.
- "Existing caspian built islands in the Joint Caspian Management Authority Zones shall be managed by Caspian Management Authority for the benefit of all signatories with projects approved by the Caspian Management Authority". We already said the islands shall be gone to end with the conflict for once and all, because I know and I've got experience from Eastern Haane. If you don't remove problem entirely, it will come back again.
- "Only humanitarian military vessels are to be allowed through the Baltic Canal". This compromises the freedom and sovereignty of the United Duchies. The European Union is nobody to decide, nor is anybody here but the United Duchies, who goes through the canal, because it is not owned by any of us but the United Duchies."
Suming up, Mr. Bridges: As a neutral arbiter I need to be extremely carefull of what I say. Making a country disown of their sovereignty over a canal sets a dangerous precendent, but not just because we are making the EU control who enters and exits the canal, but we could do the same with other similar infrastructures. This might be a reason for Euroscepticism to rise, and I think none of us want to see the European Union crumble. Furthermore, sticking to red lines when you are the country that brought all of us here, including yourself, angry faces and believing someone is another's boss won't work. Reitzmag is guilty of this summit, because your government made everything worse with the islands. Now, you cannot expect to get everything you want and even a Million Euros per nation and year for the islands. The problem should go, and that means the islands should go too."
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"Ladies and gentlemen, I think the summit is no longer valid. Even if we tried to reach an agreement, the childish and stubborn attitudes from certain side on this negotiation table. I have tried my best, but it seems that some people need to think on their behaviour first, before reaching an agreement. Thank you very much all for coming and for your efforts."
After that, Jean-Claude Juncker shook hands with everyone. The meeting was over.
The Kingdom of Spain
