MONARCH DISCUSSES "NEIGHBOURHOOD" Following the recent press statement by Achkaerin's
Crown Princess Serenity the Maharajadhiraja has responded.
"The statement has rather than clarified the situation made it in many ways worse. The Princess begins by asking "Is the safety of Achkaerinese aid workers and soldiers working in Izhitsa a concern?" and answers her own question with "Yes". I would ask her to justify that response. Never in our Empire's modern history, and never in the time I have been on the throne have we ever threatened Izhitsa or Achkaerin, not even in word. Infact had we not been busy dealing with this crisis of our own we would likely have lended our support to Izhitsa. The irony is however later in her statement she offers the supposed olive branch by saying if we tell her who we have asked to mediate she will turn the ships around, however if as she states the safety of aid workers and her soldiers occupying another nation are her concern knowing who has been asked to mediate is not going to make them safer. Therefore this argument for sending these ships is nothing more than a red herring to justify another Achkaerin incursion into other people's affairs.
There are many reasons for not wishing to inform the world of who is mediating at this point. Doing so may place them under undue influence. As we have now seen there are nations out there who wish to impose themselves upon the situation and therefore may use whatever influence they perceive they have to influence the matter. We wish these nations to act in fairness in the best path they see fit, not the path guided towards by others. What Achkaerin are doing by making these demands is essentially wishing to approve that these nations will be ones who fit their agenda. This also brings me to my next concern. The Princess states there has been a lack of communication. What she means by this is there has been a lack of communication with her nation. We have been in contact with Topri, we have been in contact with the nations we approached, we have been in contact with nations we feel we needed to be in contact with. Achkaerin is not our parents whom we must show our text messages to or give our Facebook password to. But communication is a two way street, Princess Serenity has a platform that she can use to try and force us to follow her agenda but this platform could have been used to communicate with us. IF she felt we somehow threatened her troops in Izhitsa or was concerned about the negotiations she could have used the exact same platform she now uses to have reached out to us and ask questions. She didn't instead they sent an aircraft carrier and now demand answers as though we were supposed to tell them our business. It is not hard to get a message to me and yet neither publically or privately did Serenity or her father attempt this, instead they move an aircraft carrier and then wonder why we have no desire to discuss this matter with them.
The Princess also seems to believe the feelings of those "native" to the Northern Ocean should be a concern when inviting people into their "Neighbourhood" I would begin by comparing this to a cul-de-sac, yes we are all neighbours upon the street but it is of no concern to the man living across the road who I permit into my house. It is clear they are that nosey neighbour whose curtains twitch every time a friend comes to your door. However it is ironic that when Vanora and Safraen voiced concerns about having an Ackhaerin and Dragovah navy on their doorstep despite raising their concerns this supposedly good neighbour ignored them. Then Clysperis saw a long standing prescence of their troops. A nation with a discontinuous Empire is in no place to talk about taking the concerns of "Natives" into their decision making. At some point in their history Achkaerin determined that they would strike out across Mundus to regions very different to their own and impose their governance upon Natives of other regions. We are not inviting armies, we are not inviting navies, we are inviting observers, people in suits with briefcases. Yet to my knowledge Izhitza did not invite an aircraft carrier into their neighbourhood.
The Princess also talks about concerns over our time limits, she is a Lieutenant in the Navy so I assume has served at least five years, she should therefore be aware that 48 hours in military conflict is an eternity. For us to stop our forces, with no compulsion on Topri to reciprocate, gives them a huge advantage, allows them to prepare defensive positions. Keep in mind that prior to that 48 hour ceasefire we had also paused our offensive in the town of Datai. Every time we halt our offensive be it on the grounds of removing refugees from danger, helping the injured or sick and now to give peace a chance we give Topri an advantage and this will be paid for in Parbhanian lives. Peace waits for no man and if Topri are reluctant to come to a negotiating table, as we have offered directly with us or now through mediators. We have sacrificed enough of our people to give peace a chance and now time is moving on. If need be I could steamroller Topri out of existance within a week, I have no desire though to leave Topri a nation of smoking ruins populated by grieving widows and orphaned children. Achkaerin threatening us by the spectre of an aircraft carrier, and who knows what other forces to follow, make the prospect of us placing such concerns to one side ever more likely.
What is needed now is for Achkaerin to return to its own business and not thinking that the largest ocean upon Mundus is its own front lawn. Vanora, Safraen we now know how you feel. To have a nation talk about neighbourhood but strut around believing that unless it is central to the happenings there then no good is a foot is an annoyance. If the Crown Princess is honest she now needs to come out and state the actual reason for the aircraft carrier coming as he fallacy of it being to protect her people in a foreign land is not played out by any historic evidence nor the current situation, even her own promise of turning the ship around if we disclose classified information to her contradicts this premise. If she wishes to really be a good neighbour she needs to now keep the dog on the leash and send it home as otherwise there is no option other for us to view it as a hostile move.
It is my hope that Achkaerin will now de-escalate the situation they are creating, return their carrier to their own waters and remove their troops to their homeland. The Great North Ocean is not "their" neighbourhood, it is the neighbourhood of all nations who enjoy its waters lapping at their coast, we are now at least the third nation to have complained of their presence and the impacts it has on their lives. How many more will begin to feel the same way unless they see it is they who are being the bad neighbour not us."
The Maharajadhiraja was asked if he would confirm who the nations being asked to mediate are however he refused saying, "I believe the best chance of them succeeding on their mission is to give them this time we agreed to be about the business of peace without influence from any other nations not party to the situation. They are now in control of this process not us, we merely set them on the journey and now sit back as passengers until Topri respond."