Lodamun

[imperialpearl]

Although its membership within the Anantonese Empire has been officially severed and the nation is now back to its pre-Anantonese independence, it does not, according to President George Menkyn, spell the end to Lodamun’s relationship with the Empire of Kalistan and Ananto. In the President’s first visit, both since being elected and since Lodamun parted ways with the Anantonese Empire, he is expected to visit Kaliburg to ‘reaffirm’ Lodamun’s relationship with Kalistan, albeit under new circumstances. Since the ‘separation’, Whitehall has not conclusively addressed the circumstances surrounding Lodamun’s new trajectory without the guidance of the Anantonese Empire, nor has it articulated its policy towards Kalistan and Gaduridos. Whitehall Press Secretary Andrew Medfield, in subsequent press conference noted that the administration had been managing Lodamun’s transition back towards a fully independent state, unattached from the Anantonese Empire and that an address speaking to the government’s new policy towards its former ‘sovereign’, would have likely came following subsequent meetings with the nation’s Governors and the Federal Cabinet.

 At a substantive press conference held at Whitehall earlier this morning and prior to his departure for Kaliburg, President Menkyn proclaimed that although Lodamun’s political, economic and security proximity to Kalistan had changed, it did not mean that there would be a fundamental transformation or about-turn on the two nations’ decades-long relationship. “I think it is important to underscore that although we are no longer a member of the Anantonese Empire as it stands and although the proximity we have maintained to matters within the Anantonese Empire, including those political, economic and security issues has changed, it does not mean that we are going to simply sever our decades-long relationship with Kalistan,” President Menkyn said. “In fact, I believe that it is time that we double down on our relationship with Kalistan; a decision which I know is to the chagrin of many actors external to this region,” he added.

President Menkyn confirmed that Merchant-General Hank Wexler is set to smooth out the terms of Lodamun’s trade relationship with Kalistan, such that there is ‘seamless continuity’. He noted that he was not interested in the discussions aimed at limiting trade between the two nations as a consequence of Lodamun no longer being party to the Articles of Empire, pointing to the fact that both nations have directly benefited from seamless trade between eachother for the better part of fifty (50) years. “Merchant-General [Hank] Wexler will accompany me on this trip to Kaliburg as he kicks off his international tour, which forms the basis of our new foreign policy initiative. Seamless commerce between our two nations benefits our two nations, and I for one will not be advocating for erecting obstacles in that regard,” Menkyn said. A new fair trading agreement between the two nations would ultimately have to be negotiated alongside MoUs signed, which would allow for a quasi-continuity of the free movement of people, goods and services between Lodamun and Kalistan. 

Secretary of Commerce and Industry, Robert Ellison, stated that it was imperative that the linkages established underneath the Anantonese Empire, with respect to trade and commerce, continue into the foreseeable future. “Ensuring that persons can continue to move between our two nations freely, whether it be for work or leisure. That qualification can continue to be carried over and thus recognised in Lodamun, such that a citizen of Kalistan will experience an ease of doing business should they choose to work in Lodamun and vice versa,” Secretary Ellison explained. The Trans Seleyan Railroad connection between Lodamun and Kalistan will remain open with no new restrictions on cross-border traffic. This is a continuation of the dynamic which had existed under the Anantonese Empire and stark contrast to what exists between Lodamun and Likatonia, wherein the hard border between the two states necessitates that trains between the two states be boarded, searched, and identification varied between transitions through the border.

Dr James Forrester, former Administrator-General (a position which is now defunct), has been named Lodamun’s Ambassador to the Anantonese Empire and will accompany President Menkyn, MG Wexler and Secretary Ellison on their trip to Kaliburg. “I think, given how sudden this shift was, it will be very interesting to manage that transition. I wholeheartedly agree with President Menkyn that although we [Lodamun] have parted ways with the Anantonese Empire, it did not mean that the decades of friendship we’ve enjoyed would suddenly vanish overnight and that we would somehow maintain an air of animosity towards our former ‘liege’ if you may. I’ve fallen in love with Kaliburg and the people of Kalistan, and I am humbled to have been appointed as our nation’s ambassador, where I can continue, albeit in a different capacity, to advocate for Lodamun’s interest in the AE,” Dr Forrester explained. 

Secretary of the Treasury, Dr James Woodall, stated that the administration would soon articulate its new economic policy aimed at both steering the Lodamese economy into new areas of focus alongside calming the domestic markets whilst in transition. “It is our intention to introduce a spending package which will refocus significant investment into key areas of our economy which have been impacted by this split, alongside venturing into new areas of focus and double down on those projects which we believe additional emphasis ought to receive additional emphasis,” Dr Woodall explained. He noted that the Lodamese economy would ultimately weather the separation primarily as a result of the agreement to be signed by President Menkyn in Kaliburg and the fact that the Lodamese Government had not been a historic benefactor of capital investment from the Anantonese Empire, especially when compared to Gaduridos.