Palazzo Malzo
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release [float=right]06 June 2017[/float]
Remarks by the First Councillor on the Signing of the Messelia Declaration
Good morning.
I want to thank you all for being here, and I especially want to thank the leaders standing beside me for coming to Messelia. We have had two days of very productive discussions, delving into issues of critical importance to our countries and to the world, and I can't think of world leaders with such tenacity, academic interest and breadth of knowledge as my fellow heads of government. I want to mention in particular Archon Antari of Parthenopias and Prime Minister Dimitriou of Selene. They were recently elected to their respective positions, and it has been fantastic to have them here, despite their obviously busy agendas. In the past two days, they have proven to be world class leaders, and it has been a pleasure to work with them. I have no doubt that we will be able to continue strengthening the bonds of friendship among our countries, and also continue to strengthen the role of the Artemian Union within our world.
We have gathered here to sign the Messelia Declaration, the result of two days of thorough discussions on our part, and even harder work on the part of our respective teams and staff. We discussed issues of foreign policy, global threads, mutual cooperation and various development initiatives. There have obviously been differences in our individual positions, and that's completely natural: each of us represents a country with its own priorities and goals, and our Union is strengthened with those differences. However, we still have overwhelming overlap in our views, and were able to confirm our commitment to various ongoing initiatives. The Messelia Declaration is the result of those coincidence, and it's our public statement of intent to continue to build on them, obviously individually, but most importantly, jointly as members of the Artemian Union.
Before I take questions, I will elaborate on what the declaration actually contains.
Our initial focus was on foreign policy and global threats. We strongly condemn the threats of Soltek Leader Edward Yutan. It is our belief that the international community should present a unified front against any such threats, regardless of who issues them, and the Union intends to play a key leadership role in that regard. We are also concerned about the role that Fydoria is playing in Arizixilega. There's a fine line between foreign assistance and foreign intervention into the sovereign affairs of a country, and we want to ensure that said line is not crossed. We urge Fydoria to engage with the international community to ensure that all actions to stabilise Arizixilega are the result of a broad international consensus.
With respect to the ascension of Nicolina Anselmetti as Grand Commander of Kalos, we prefer to exercise restraint at this point. There have been some encouraging signs, and we will pay close attention to those, but Kalos has long acted as an adversary to the Artemian Union, and until there is a genuine and good faith effort to ease tensions, we have no option but to be careful. We do encourage Grand Commander Anselmetti to make a clean break and do right by the international community, but the decision must come from her.
We also condemn terrorism in all its form, and give our sincere condolences to the families of the victims of the recent attacks in Alexra and Parthenopias. These actions, these horrific attacks, are unacceptable in any civilised society, and we have agreed to increase cooperation between our law enforcement and intelligence agencies to ensure that critical information and best practices are shared in a timely manner. There should not be any further attacks, and we will work together, within the confines of the law and a free society, to ensure that peace, prosperity and democracy remain the foundational blocks of our Union.
In terms of mutual cooperation and development initiatives, yesterday afternoon we had a most productive discussion, and reached several important agreements. I must thank my fellow heads of government for their contributions, and for their interest in issues that will make a tangible difference in our respective countries.
We have agreed that education is of paramount importance, and initiatives like the Global Education Programme and the Passolides Scholarship are key elements in our common education strategy, and should be strengthened. In terms of the Passolides Scholarship, we do recognise the seriousness of the accusations against the former administration in Selene. Prime Minister Dimitriou has informed us that he committed to handling the issue in a professional manner, and we have agreed to develop stronger oversight mechanisms, so that funds are adequately used for actual education initiatives. It is important to clarify that, this incident notwithstanding, our educational programmes are still strong and functioning, and where improvements can be made, they will be made.
There is also a commitment to the continued development of renewable energies and the implementation of green policies, through the Green Initiative and in pursuance of the Green Development Goals. We all remain committed to reducing emissions to the agreed upon levels by 2025, and are open to revising that goal, should we meet it at an earlier date. That also means encouraging innovation and STEAM education, so our future generations have the tools and the knowledge to implement future green policies and ensure that the planet is safe for humanity. Based on our progress thus far, I am proud to say that the Artemian Union will become a leader in the green revolution, and an example for other countries to follow.
Finally, we agreed that it is important to support the Artemian Space Agency. Currently it is developing the Aetos Project and the Outer Space Exploration Missions, two revolutionary initiatives, and we need to provide public and material support to them. We have committed to increasing funding for the Agency, and directing the resources of our individual space agencies to the pursuance of both initiatives. It is our goal that we will have a manned test for the Aetos Project later this year, and a launch for the Outer Space Exploration Missions in the next available transfer window. These missions, meant to explore our universe and develop useful technologies, are immensely important and will impact life on Artemia in inimaginable ways, and will continue to receive our full support.
We will meet again, as scheduled, later this year in Parthenopias, where we will review our progress on all these goals, and set new ones, if applicable.
With that, I will be taking questions, and should they be so inclined, my fellow heads of government are also invited to answer any questions that are asked.