Lusatia and Franerre

[alxeu]

The Foreign Minister's eyes gleamed when he saw the pearl, but maintained a reserved tone when he spoke, "Such luxury goods would certainly be fine items to import, in addition to any raw resources, such as iron or copper, your nation is capable of providing, but this still leaves the question of just what Franerre wants from Lusatia." He paused, thoughtfully, "After all, such an urgent trade meeting can't have only been to sell Lusatia luxuries. What is it Franerre needs? Whatever it is, Lusatia ought to be more than capable of providing."

[callmedelta]

"We do have iron and copper that would be available for export," Ryom said, "But your words are true. Franerre isn't simply here to sell pearls. Due to recent events at home, the Franch economy has not been doing well, and it gets worse by the day. As for what Franerre wants from Lusatia, it is not any products in particular, but the jobs producing them she needs. The Franch people need factories to work in."

[alxeu]

The Foreign Minister now appeared to have a knowing look, having finally reached the crux of the Franch issue, and now finally able to act with a full understanding of the situation, "I see now. Your people back home aren't buying enough to keep your industry solvent? Lusatia certainly always has space for foreign-built luxury and specialty goods, but there are some imports that may be more difficult to justify, as, after all, we can't undercut Lusatian industry to support Franch industry."

"Still, Lusatia is willing to both purchase Franch goods, as well as act as an economic intermediary for Franerre to trade with other nations on the continent, on one condition: how does Franerre intend to help Lusatia minimize the trade deficit? It won't go over well for Lusatia to buy from Franerre without Franerre buying anything in return, so even if all your nation is importing is large amounts of canned food and construction supplies, it'd still look better in the balance book, as well as justify a bunch of jobs in both our nations."

[callmedelta]

"I don't quite think Franerre needs any canned food or construction supplies," Ryom said, "But there are two gaps in the Franch economy that Lusatia is primed to fill. Franerre has almost no local electronics manufacturing, and I'm sure the Franch government would be happy to import some for administrative use if this trade agreement went through. The second is for more complex machinery that local factories are unable to produce."

[alxeu]

"I had merely suggested two things that every nation needs and that would keep in good quality across the vast ocean between our nations, Ambassador, but your proposed alternative deal sounds just as acceptable to me, if not more so."

He continued, "Though a good portion of our current production is focused on returning industrial production to pre-war levels and on refitting older machines, I can arrange for the surplus to be sold to Franerre quite easily."

"Regarding what Franerre wishes to export, do you have any exact numbers regarding the amount of each good available for purchase and export? I can ensure a document reaches your office regarding the types of industrial equipment Lusatian corporations produce, as well as contact information to their sales departments, so that your industries can begin important what they need as they need it, while I can use the information regarding your nation's exports to start convincing potentially interested parties in Lusatia to begin investing in Franch goods to sell domestically."

"Anything more in depth would probably be best discussed with the Commerce Ministry or Economic Ministry, and if you would like to reach out to them, I can arrange meetings with their staffs to make sure that the trade deals are negotiated at a fair price to both our nations. With that being said, is there anything else you wish to discuss today? This is a trade meeting, but an economic crisis doesn't just materialize out of nowhere. Though my job is Foreign Affairs, the goings-on in Touli are, frankly, not the primary focus of the government, and, therefore, not where I am ordered to pay attention to on a daily basis."

"I suppose what I'm trying to figure out is what the sudden change is over in Touli that's got your nation on the backfoot?"

[callmedelta]

"That surplus would likely be newer than the machines Franch factories currently use, so it would be much appreciated," Ryom said, picking up and opening his briefcase. From inside, he withdrew two manila folders, both full of papers and graphs. "I was given clearance to use these documents for this assignment, but I can't make heads or tails of them besides the summaries at the beginning. I'm no economist either. I would also like to see your information as well. I can't be certain how much use it will be to me, but it certainly can't hurt. A meeting with either ministry would suffice, it merely depends on which Ministry you think would be better suited for it. You know the Lusatian government better than I."

After finishing that sentence, Ryom began to fidget in his seat. His hand ran over his wristwatch, the cool metal underneath helping to calm his nerves as the ambassador weighed the pros and cons of telling his Lusatian counterpart while trying not to let his anxieties resurface. Eventually, Ryom decided to tell the Minister. "Before I begin, what do you know of Franerre's current situation? I would like to spend as little time retreading information you know as possible."

[alxeu]

Nodding, he took the folders whilst providing a small binder with a similar purpose for the Franch Ambassador. Then he scanned the first few lines of the documents within the folders, frowned, sighed audibly, and put them down, "I see what you mean. I'll pass this on to the Commerce Ministry and suggest they set up a meeting with you as soon as feasible to discuss the specifics."

He thought for a bit regarding recent news from Franerre, "As for that, it depends on what ends up actually being relevant to the situation at hand. The two most interesting pieces of recent news is a rumor of troop redeployments by both your nation and Kumosenkan among the border between Franerre and Elenria, coinciding with your nation's admittance into the COG. While I can't ask you to comment either way regarding the rumor," the Foreign Minister said, pausing to take a sip of his drink, "I can't help but wonder if there's at least some truth in it: that your neighbors didn't like the thought of you joining a continental alliance."

[callmedelta]

Ryom sighed. "The rumors are true, I'm afraid. More relevant to the situation, however, is the fact that a majority of Franerre's exports went to Elenria, and along with the troops, Kumosenkan saw fit to close the border to Franch trade. The COG has helped, but they can only do so much, and that leads us here." Ryom took a sip of his tea, now cooled, conveniently neglecting to tell the Minister about the potential for war, even if it were a slight one. No one wants to invest in factories that will be blown up in an invasion the next day.

[alxeu]

The Foreign Minister nodded, thoughtfully, and said, "I see, I suppose the only thing I can really say on the situation is that Lusatia wishes that tensions in Touli be reduced, as no one here wants another war on the scale of the Fifth Staol War, but, otherwise, there's unfortunately not much we could do to offer to help defuse tensions. If direct communications won't resolve the tension between your nations, Lusatia could look into a roundabout means of passing a message through Ulster-Gaelia on towards Kumosenkan, but such an idea is probably excessive, I'm sure."

"As for the trade effects of this tension, I can only hope the increased trade with Lusatia does its part to stabilize your nation's economy before something drastic happens. In today's world, one nation's economy being on edge can cause a domino effect world-wide."

[callmedelta]

"Tensions were down, if slightly, when I last received news, and direct communications are underway, at the very least," Ryom said, "But I don't know how much they will really accomplish. While Lusatia's offer is appreciated, I'm not sure how much good it will do. If direct talks fail, I don't know if anything will change Kumosenkan's mind. I suppose it's rather fortunate that Franerre is a minor player on the world stage, for the time being. If her economy fails, it's unlikely to have any world-wide effects."

[alxeu]

"Mhm, well, in that case, unless you have any major overriding concerns before this meeting ends, you may go ahead and head out. I'll make sure the Commerce Ministry knows to contact you soon, and I wish your nation the best. May whatever agreement our nations hash out be the start of a plentiful partnership for both of our nations," the Foreign Minister said, smiling.

[callmedelta]

Ryom extended a hand. "To the start of a plentiful partnership," he said, a broad smile on his face. Ryom did all he could, for now, he would be happy with it.

[alxeu]

The Foreign Minister smiled, "To a new, bountiful partnership," he said, leading Ryom out of his office.

Within a day, contacts from the Ministry of Commerce would reach out to the Franch Embassy, letting them know that they were prepared to begin official negotiations over the exact trade agreement whenever Franerre was.