NationStates Jolt Archive

Jackson Miller, the Zinairian Minister of Foreign Affairs, had been assured that the conference room next to his office in the Foreign Authority would be open for an after lunch meeting. This was a most unfortunate fact for the group of junior FA staffers that had chosen the room to prepare their briefing on the state of Zinairian embassies throughout the New Caribbean. When the minister burst into the room at 12:40, many of the staffers found themselves face-to-face with Miller's steely temper. Calmly and coldly, he ordered the group from the room and closed the door behind the frightened employees.

Jackson let out a sigh and sat back into one of the leather chairs. He turned on the speaker phone in the middle of the table and dialed his secretary's extension.

"Sharon, I'm in the conference room next door for my 13:00 with the Ruccolian ambassador. Make sure the fellows from Commerce and Transportation are on their way and then bring some tea in."

"Commerce just called, the Deputy Minister is in the lobby. I'll send her right up. I'll check Transportation. What kind of tea did you fancy?"

"Bring an assortment. I'm not sure what out guest will want."

"Alright, sir. I'll be right in with that."

Miller hung up the phone and leaned back, putting his patten leather shoes on the table. He returned them to the ground hurriedly as, several minutes later, the Deputy Minister of Commerce, Sandra Butler, entered. The two officials shook hands and Sandra took a seat.

"We're just waiting for the TA and our guest." Jackson said as her Commerical Authority's representative toyed with her pen. Sandra returned a tight-lipped smile but said nothing.

Moments later, a rather large, sweaty man entered the room, followed by Sharon with a tea tray.

"Jay Sander, Deputy Minister of Transportation." The man said, shaking the hands of the other two. Once the introductions were finished, Jay collapsed into a seat and dabbed his forehead with a handkerchief.

"Shall I call the embassy?" Sharon asked as she put the tray down.

"No, but make sure the lobby knows to send the ambassador straight up." Jackson said, reaching for a packet of Earl Grey.

The time was twelve forty-five as a limousine decorated with Ruccolian flags on its bonnet sped away from the high-rise embassy complex of 6 Arouet Drive. Inside, Richard Li, the Ruccolian Ambassador to Zinaire, looked through a manila envelope containing a variety of documents, as well as a recent letter sent to him by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Arugula concerning the latest developments in the administration's diplomatic programme. Although his surname clearly signified the Chinese origins of his ancestors, one would have thought he was somewhat Mediterranean in appearance, with seemingly Italian facial features, wavy brown hair and honey-coloured eyes. Of course, this was a result of centuries of ethnic intermarriage in Ruccola, a process that had given rise to the Ruccolians as a unique people group.

It would take mere minutes to reach the Foreign Authority building on National Plaza, but Richard was the type of person who made it a point to leave early in case of any disruptions along the way. Not that there would be, of course, being in a nation like Zinaire, but still, he derived a certain amount of comfort in arriving with plenty of time to spare.

Sure enough, he was ten minutes early as the vehicle pulled up to the front entrance of the Foreign Authority. Richard thanked his chauffeur as he exited the limousine, taking his satchel with him and walking into the front lobby. He greeted the lady at the reception with a smile, saying, "Good afternoon. I have an appointment with Sir Miller at one."

"Ah, you must be Ambassador Li," replied the woman. "This way please. One of my colleagues will lead you to the conference room."

Richard thanked the lady and followed her colleague up to the level of the foreign minister's office. Upon entering the meeting room, he made eye contact with Sir Miller, greeting him with a firm handshake and a smile.

"Good afternoon, Sir Miller. My apologies for arriving early."

He then greeted the Deputy Ministers for Commerce and Transportation in turn and shook their hands, introducing himself in the process.

"Richard Li, Ambassador of the Republic of Ruccola. A pleasure to meet you."


OOC: Sorry I took so long! I'm incredibly picky with my writing.

OOC: Well, if you're driving around a stretch limo, then you'd be wise to leave extra time for having rocks thrown at you and being stopped by police for no good reason. The Zinairians have a hatred of limos that not even I don't understand completely. I presume you mean the Phantom that you declared on your embassy form though.

"It's a pleasure, Ambassador Li." The three Zinairian officials all said in one way or another as they shook hands with the Ruccolian.

"As you said this would be a meeting on trade and international air links," Jackson said, "I've invited representatives from the relevant departments. If need be, we can also get a representative of ZinAir, our national airline, on speakerphone. Now, why don't you get the ball rolling, ambassador."

OOC: Yes, that's what I meant. Sorry about that - I have a tendency to use limousine and automobile interchangeably in these sorts of threads.


"Lovely," remarked the ambassador, as the party took their seats. "Firstly, I'd like to thank you all for being here. The Ruccolian government is currently seeking out additional trading partners for our country, and Zinaire was one of several nations placed on a priority list, thanks to its economic strength and its role as the New Caribbean's largest economy. To this end, we believe it would be of great mutual benefit if we were to conclude a bilateral free trade agreement governing the movement of goods, services and capital."

Sandra nodded proudly. "Zinaire's economy is indeed a force to be reckoned with. Perhaps you've heard of the canal (http://wikistates.outwardhosting.com/wiki/Zinairian_Canal) we're currently constructing in the Northern Region. Regardless, what are your specific trade interests?"

"Much like Zinaire, the production and export of automobiles and electronics are key economic sectors," said Richard. "However, financial services, shipping and logistics also form principal components of the Ruccolian economy, and this is where the Zinarian Canal comes into play. Given Ruccola's location in the northern Pacific Ocean, bilateral shipping will undoubtedly benefit a great deal from its completion. But that's beside the point." He paused for a split second to gather his thoughts.

"Currently, our companies are on a drive to secure increased supplies of raw materials, agricultural goods and metals to bolster industrial production. Of course, they've also been looking for new markets in which to offer their products, and Zinaire more than fits the bill," he smiled. "Another rationale for the treaty is the idea that as governments, we should be encouraging bilateral investment as well as increased inter-regional trade. Personally, I believe that an FTA between us will cause a surge in foreign direct investment in both of our nations and lead to the establishment of Ruccolian regional corporate headquarters and offices in Zinaire and vice versa in Ruccola."



OOC: I'm heading off to bed. Goodnight, and thanks for starting up the thread so soon! I'm enjoying it already. :)

Sandra nodded happily. "Yes, it certainly seems mutually advantageous. As you probably know, Zinaire is rich in natural resources and I have no doubt we could begin the export of raw materials to your nation. At this point it seems that my superior should meet with her analogue in your nation to discuss the details and finalize the deal. I'm sure we'll be able to arrange a meeting in the near future."

"Wonderful," smiled the ambassador. "Sounds like a plan. But first, let me pass you the contact details for our Minister of Commerce." He opened his satchel and took out a small leather folder, flipping it open to the inside cover where one could see copies of a number of Ruccolian ministers' business cards protruding from several pockets. Extracting two cards from the commerce minister's stack, he politely passed them to Sandra with his two hands, making sure that the text was facing her. "Here's one for you, and one for your superior. I know our Ministry of Commerce will be honoured to host such a visit." The card listed the commerce minister's name, Luisa Narniano, as well as contact details such as her email address, phone number and the Ministry of Commerce's mailing address at 945 Republic Avenue in Arugula.

Turning to face the Deputy Minister of Transportation, Richard remarked, "Now that that's finished, I'd like to go over the prospect of air travel between our two nations. As far as I know, two of our airlines, flag carrier Air Ruccola and competitor Ruccolian Airlines, are highly interested in launching services to the New Caribbean, particularly Zinaire. Typically, we would have to go through the process of concluding an air services agreement to form a legal basis for flights between Zinaire and Ruccola. However, one recent development that has changed this is the adoption of an open skies policy governing Arugula International Airport (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=568300) to encourage international air traffic growth, which technically means that ZinAir could start flying to Ruccola without the need to agree to one. Nonetheless, our aviation authorities would still like to guarantee Ruccolian access to Zinairian airports through an air services pact, and allow for the future operation of flights to Zinaire from Ruccolian cities other than Arugula."