Kalistani Major History

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Kalistani President Welcomes Lourenne to Republic
Empress Rivière Ananto on hand to greet co-Nationals
Kaliburg, Ananto
April 5, 5320


President of the Republic Katharine Lindor welcomes visiting Lourennais Dignitaries

Greeted at the airport by Empress Rivière Ananto, 96, who is the sister to the late Lourennais Queen Eugenie I, Karl Cesaire, Lourenne's Minister for International Affairs visited the Republic this week. Her Imperial Majesty, the last of the House Ananto to hold any official title, gave a short speech to an assembled crowd which included the Minister, Kalistan's President and Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Defense, and members of the Press and Administration staff. In it, she expressed fondness for the longstanding relationship between Kalistan and Lourenne, and especially highlighted the long history of the Anantonese Economic Standardization Accord, signed and ratified in July 5074 by Kalistan and Lourenne.

Though she spoke slowly, Rivière Ananto spoke clearly and with grace and elegance of a person who has the blood of royalty in her veins. "The signing of that pact was among my family's proudest achievements. And upon marriage to my late husband, I began to fully understand and appreciate its terms, and the difference they made to the lives of both of our nations. This was not only an economic agreement, but it also laid the foundation for peace and tranquility between the great state of Kalistan and the kingdom that we jokingly... but lovingly... refer to here as 'Kalistan's 6th District', the mighty and ancient United Kingdom of Lourenne. Centuries before passage of the treaty, our two nations were bitter rivals. Since then, we have become friends, and to both of our benefits, I believe. We welcome our friends from Lourenne, land of my birth, and always a land I call home, to Kalistan, a place which adopted me and always treated me warmly and with great respect and decency." The Empress then in short order turned the affairs over to the Head of State, President of the Republic Lindor, and took her leave from the proceedings, skipping the reception, and begging indulgence of "an old woman."

Following brief introductory words from President Lindor and a reception with hors d'oeuvres and questions from the Press, the visit continued on with a tour of the Capitol Mall and Port Davon, as well as a surprise visit to The Kalistan National Shipyards on the Ananto Strait. "Here we can see," began President Lindor, "Kalistan is making great progress on the refitting of our naval units, which, when redeployed, will contribute Kalistan's part to regional defense in the Northern Anantonese Ocean, in service along side The United Kingdom's vessels." The party was on hand to see the launching of a new Daniel Guzman class multipurpose frigate set to join the 3rd Fleet at Yoshimi before being deployed to patrol the Southern Limit. "Kalistan is making fantastic strides to refit our naval's procurement requirements, and we are on schedule to deploy a full compliment by 5327." The Lourennais Minister spoke of commitment to assist Kalistan with expertise and training going forward.

Back in Kaliburg, the two administrations discussed points of agreement and ways to strengthen bonds between Kalistan and Lourenne. The Kalistani side discussed strengthening trade relationships with other nations in Northern Seleya as a way to increase trade in the economically integrated Northern Anantonese Zone. "As we increase our rail links to Seleyan countries, Lodamun also stands to benefit from Kalistani trade with access to new consumer and capital goods and markets via Kalistan. Increased trade helps liberal minded nations and we anticipate a significant improvement in Lourenne's economic outlook as a result." Lourenne, for its part discussed investment and cultural exchange opportunities across the Lourenne Channel. Both Parties agreed that seeking additional opportunities to increase toursim and commuter activities would be welcomed, and Kalistan stated that it looked forward to increased integration of Lourenne's cultural institutions in Kalistani Society. "Our people watch Lourenne's Movies, its just a matter of fact," said Foreign Minister Natalie Brewer. "Whether we see them on TV or in the theater, there is a segment of the population who goes nuts for the cultural products of Lourenne's society. Our desire is to foster that exchange and encourage it within both Kalistan and Lourenne."

Kalistan's finance minister, who joined the talks noted that access to green technology would be welcomed, not only to expand current efforts at environmental protection and promotion within Kalistan, but to also work on newer technologies. "As we noted recently, we are looking for ways to expand passenger rail to magnetic levitation trains, introducing a high speed rail network across the Mainland. This would be a perfect project for investors who want to work on energy efficient and environmentally clean infrastructure. A Kalistani-Lourenne partnership on a national Maglev system could yield dividends for centuries."

Overall the day's business went well and both sides came away from the meeting optimistic about the coming age of cooperation between the two Northern Anantonese Nations. Before departing, Kaliburg hosted the visiting Lourennais diplomats to a night on the town, including dinner at the noted Treehouse Restaurant, a vaudeville show that featured comedy, a mentalist and music performance, and a public street arts festival thrown in honor of the Official Visit where the Kalistani Noise Alternative group Queens of Surf played an acoustic set on the main stage. The festival was well attended, and Kalistanis eager to meet Lourennais politicians showed their support by waving Lourenne's flag and saying Bonsoir to the visiting delegation.