Krista - This week I've made my way to Samantra. A nation that had become in recent months a leading light in the Rus community of nations as well as having ruffled a few feathers because of its support for the Abrahamic Declaration and some strict domestic policies based on their Orthadox faith. Economically they have attracted the attention of the worlds media with an upcoming mega-engineering project with neighbours Nis and also be apparently welcoming Rokkenjima based Abstergo into their nation. Today I am joined by Stas Petrov Minister for trade, Economy and Finance of the Holy Kingdom of Samantra. Minister Petrov, thank you for speaking with me. If I can start by asking what is the nature of the deal with Abstergo.
Petrov -First allow me to greet you Mrs. Rosendahl and your viewers. Regarding Rokkenjima based Abstergo I can say there is no formal deal. Abstergo has announced its intentions to invest in the Holy Kingdom which our legislation allows. They are planning to invest in the financial sector by offering services via their financial division which is perfectly reasonable. We welcome foreign investment in the Holy Kingdom and we wish them the best in their business here.
Krista - What do you view as the benefits for your citizens of Abstergo entering the Samantran market? Will there in your view be any down sides?
Petrov -I think the Samantran consumer stands to gain from the extra competition. Those that closely follow the developments in the Duma, our secular legislature, know that among the lobby groups that sided with the Abstergo group was the Debtors’ Rights Association of Samantra. The fact that this happened should make our domestic financial institutions ponder a bit. What exactly are the concerns and dissatisfaction that made them desire to have more foreign competition? Another positive is that it shows our commitment to having an open economy where foreign capital is welcomed. We expect and in fact have already received intentions of investment from other countries including the Empire of Abertone.
As for the down sides, from the talks I had with trade unions of the banking sector they are concerned it would lead to an overall reduction in the number of financial sector jobs as Abstergo has its HQ in Rokkenjima and the highest paying jobs are of course based there. There are also concerns regarding unfair competition because of its size and apparent advantage via the Anselmo family but we have anti-trust legislation in place should it ever come to that.
Krista - - You've made a point of trying to make co-operation a priority between Rus nations. How do you expect the introduction of Abstergo onto Samantran markets to e/affect your relations with Nis and Zaporozh?
Petrov –Both Niš and Zaporozh are two nations with whom the Holy Kingdom shares not just cultural and religious ties but also bonds of friendship. Samantra has agreements with both countries and nothing in those agreements stops the Holy Kingdom from allowing Rokkenjiman companies to invest in our market nor affects, at least in any significant way that I can think of, the economies of the two countries since our agreements do not feature anything like an common economic market. So I don’t expect that to be an issue going forward.
Krista - Abstergo is partly owned by the Anselmo family who of course control Rokkenjima. Great concerns have been expressed at the decision of your government to comply with Rokkenjiman demands to lift sanctions, such showing a willingness to align with them: how do you perceive the Samantran stance towards investors? Is it a safe haven still?
Petrov – I think there might have been a misunderstanding here. The Holy Kingdom has not showed any willingness with align with the First Empire of Rokkenjima. Our government has shown willingness for dialogue and compromise. The Rokkenjiman side has decided, wisely I might add, to remove their sanctions on the Emirate of Royal Seleucid and the Holy Kingdom has in turn adjusted the Good Samaritan program which was a reason of contention between the two sides. It is my hope that investors will appreciate the willingness to resolve disputes and have trade resume.
Krista - - With the church having a great deal of influence on politics in your country what impact could this have on how Abstergo integrate into your economy.
Petrov – Abstergo is a for profit company and as such I can imagine the pursuit of profit in accordance with local laws and regulations are their main concern and objective. The laws of the Holy Kingdom are public and clear. That is all I can tell you, Abstergo representatives can perhaps tell you more about how they plan to integrate into the Samantran economy.
Krista - Samantra have a rather unique take on government with Jesus Christ as your Head of State. Do you feel that this is a handicap or a blessing to your foreign policy?
Petrov – That is a good question. I would say there are two ways to look at this, first there is the spiritual side. Having our Lord our Jesus Christ as head of state I believe has had a great positive impact in spiritual affairs. However, much of it is above my pay grade so I won’t address that.
The other side, the secular one if you will, I will detail more. One of our greatest diplomats once said “give me a good domestic policy and I will give a good foreign policy”. Our institutional arrangement works best for Samantra and has created the stability and social cohesion that are a great foundation for our foreign policy. Aside for that, I think it also shows Mundus where we stand on a whole range of domestic issues and creates natural affinities. So I would say it has been a major blessing.
Krista - If we can turn our attention towards wider issues could I ask about something we've already touched upon what economical consequences -positive & negative- do you see for the construction of the most expensive Nemanjić/Vladmir the Great Bridge? For short and long-terms, including its construction?
Petrov – I think the positive aspects are too many to go into detail. I would say some of the major ones are a boost to the construction sector, interconnectivity with our northern neighbors and friends in Niš, a positive image not just for the Holy Kingdom and Niš but for the whole region.
The downsides, and we are looking to address and mitigate them, are: the great financial costs, the environmental impact and security vulnerability. A project that size needs to be well protected from hostile actors. We are looking to attract foreign partners to finance our part of the bridge, we will see that efforts are made to keep the environmental impact at the minimum and will work closely with our Nišlija partners to make sure that security concerns, however small, are dealt with.
Krista - From the talks in Rayyu it is apparent the Patriach had a great deal of input into the Abrahamic Declaration. With the Abrahamic Declaration receiving a rather in depth focus in Achkaerin Covenant speech are you confident it will not impact global trade especially with their partner Rokkenjima, home of Absertgo, being rather more critical of the document?
Petrov – The question touches several aspects so I will try and address all of them. First, I will note that the concerns raised by the First Empire of Rokkenjima were expressed before the Abrahamic Declaration enjoyed what I would describe as a great success in its adoption by Mundus. We have seen it approved at the ballot box in Abertone, we have seen a non-majority Abrahamic country, the Kermah Confederation, adopt it and we have seen Universal Free Church of Djabidjan also sign it. If I am not mistaken seven nations have already signed the declaration and I expect Zaporozh to follow soon. Those were major landmarks. So I think that we should interpret the focus it received in the Achkaerin Covenant address by looking at how many countries have already adopted it.
Secondly, I expect the Rokkenjiman concerns to subside now after Achkaerin Covenant speech. So I do not expect that global trade will be affected.
Krista - Samantra has made efforts to position itself as a major financial hub of the Rus’ countries but the Rus’ community of nations is very diverse. With Samantra having laws that mandate the income of the wives to be received by the husbands and with the Holy Kingdom adopting the Abrahamic Declaration, aspects which some in the Rus’ world are uncomfortable with, won’t that hurt its chances to achieve its goal?
Petrov – The values of the Holy Kingdom are its strength and the foundation on which the country is built. We won’t change the foundation in pursuit of material goals. A major financial hub means much more than what you mentioned, it means expertise, business friendly regulations and opportunities. Regarding opportunities, I believe the Petrograd Stock Exchange offers some interesting ones to investors including access to the recently merged NisSam Railway Company, the joint nuclear company with Altona, the operator of the Nemanjić/Vladmir the Great Bridge and most of the largest companies in Samantra. So we are in a good position to work towards our goal of becoming a leading financial hub of the Rus’ community of nations.
Krista -Finally can I ask are you concerned with the recent influx of foreign capitals, that being lodjain and rokkenjimans, for the sovereignty of Samantra and not falling into reliance of third parties?
Petrov – That is a complicated matter. I don’t think we can talk about reliance but rather more like interdependence since both parties have to gain. The Holy Kingdom is not isolated from international trade and capital flows. For example we import most of oil and gas from MidAranye and I imagine that we are one of their largest customers. Same goes from foreign investments, our companies invest aboard and foreign ones invest in the Holy Kingdom, we are all connected and interdependent. In the case of Lodjan investments, I think that is also a result of the outreach our government has made towards the Rus’ community of nations. I expect as time passes that Samantra’s economy will become more interdependent to that of the Rus’ community of nations. I don’t view that as a problem. Thank you for your questions.
