June 2025,
Bingol, Packilvania
The Sultan Addresses the Caliphate on the Commemoration of the Great War
Whatever doubts Thumim had, he was convinced that his nation was not complete. On a warm day, flies buzzed over the heads of sweaty construction workers who tried to each their lunch in the shade of a construction vehicle. They played the radio. As the nation celebrated the end of the Great War over a century ago, their Sultan addressed the nation. His voice burst from the speakers. Despite the static from the weak signal, his conviction was clear.
In the Packilvanian language, Sultan Thumim V said:
"Every year we are reminded and suffer the humiliation of our fellow citizens and compatriots in Tarseen being severed from us and deprived of their homeland by the malevolent Free Paxian forces. The current regime scoffs at legitimate and sincere attempts to return our unlawfully and violently cleaved territory. In a moment of weakness following the disastrous Tarseen War, the Packilvanian Communist Party was unable to resist the FPS forces and retain control of our sovereign territory. Thus, we continue to watch as FPS strips Tarseen of its freedom and independence.
This flagrant desecration of international law and the undermining of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Packilvania has gone unanswered for too long. After intractable and unresolvable disputes with Tasselvalta fifteen years ago, we reincorporated the Tasselvalta region into our territory. As such, we believe that there is a legitimate precedent for us to do the same here, should diplomatic attempts to broker an end to the Tarseen War and the restoration of our sovereign territory prove unsuccessful.
Despite perfidious prevarications to the contrary by our detractors, we want to resolve this longstanding territorial dispute through diplomatic means. We offer an olive branch in the name of peace and in the best interests of the citizens of our nation, to the FPS and Tarseen authorities to convene under the auspices of Great Morstaybishlia to settle this issue. We are not unsympathetic to the fact that the long period of separation between our nation has led to divergences in political ideology, economic systems and cultural inclinations that might make the notion of reincorporation unpalatable and recognize that specific configurations for Tarseen’s reincorporation will need to be considered that respect its distinct character and history in concert with affirming and maintaining Packilvanian territorial integrity.
We have approached Great Morstaybishlia because they have demonstrated previous expertise in enabling the resolution of armed conflict between belligerents, and they have positive relations with both our nations. We recognize that the FPS and Tarseen authorities might be labouring under the misapprehension that the Morstaybishlian Crown is in cahoots with us to facilitate a pretentious and asymmetric negotiating environment. As incredulous as our genuine and authentic attempts at peaceful and diplomatic resolution of this conflict may seem, Packilvania has neither in practice nor in intimation attempted to influence or direct the course of the negotiations.
We recognize with humility that previous attempts at talks have proved disappointingly unfruitful, leading to understandable frustration on both sides. However, we do not believe that a commitment to peace undertaken in good faith as we are doing, is fruitless. We want to place international law, peace and stability at the locus of everything that we do such that despite our legitimate claims to Tarseenian territory, temper our might to give peace a decent fighting chance. Therefore, despite years of frustration at the breakdown of diplomatic attempts, we continue to pursue peace. Given that there are small cracks through which light shines between our respective nations such as tourism and trade, we are confident that there are ample opportunities to find peaceful resolutions and restore trust.
Thus, before elevating the possibility of armed conflict or any venture of that nature (which we do not preclude or waive as our right), we want peace to dominate. Great Morstaybishlia, unaligned to either side and serving the high cause of international peace with honour and distinction above nationalist interest or geostrategic predilections, has been asked to facilitate these talks. We submit ourselves unreservedly to an internationally driven process and exhort our comrades and colleagues to do the same."
Whether this was part of the bluster that permeated and to some extent defined this celebratory occasion, or whether it was an actionable plan, the sense of being cheated of their rightful territory, even if it happened a century ago, did not fade from the people’s collective memory. There were some who remembered a time in which Tarseen was a part of Packilvania. Even with their number and ilk fading, their successors seemed determined to reunite the lost lands of Tarseen.