Opening Address
May 11, 2020
I am grateful to Prydania for allowing me the opportunity to grace these hallowed halls again as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. This is work that I believe strongly in and I share our new delegate's vision for diplomacy and doing our part to build a better community in this game. To do that we need the support and talent of every member of the diplomatic corps, and we need to strengthen a foundation that has been laid by successive ministries going back to last year. I have seen the fruits of their labor, and in many cases, your labor, those of you who are still engaged in this work and have been longer than the various holders of this office. Of particular note is our previous minister @TlomzKrano who had to finish a term with many projects and guided them a great distance in the term that followed earlier this year to the point they are at now. How could we stop now when we have come as far as we have? I intend to carry out the initiatives that began in the previous administration, as they all will better equip us for the engagement with the world that we are aiming for, and will provide valuable information to TNPers and NS players alike.
These projects are the same ones Tlomz highlighted in his closing address yesterday: the World Factbook, the UCR Outreach Program, and our efforts to reorganize the diplomatic corps. This ministry spent a lot of time and effort getting these right, and now we need to get them finished. The World Factbook will serve as the culmination of years of work keeping track of the various goings-on in NS and can allow us for swift utilization of our regular ambassador reports. It is my hope that it can serve as a focus for that work and provide a guide for our ambassadors so they know precisely what information we need from them and what they should be paying attention to. It can also be a resource for future ministries and ensue that this sometimes difficult work can be replicated and made less daunting for those who volunteer to do it. The UCR Outreach Program is, in my view, one of the best ways we can not only sharpen our skills at diplomacy, but find new avenues for growing our network of close friends and allies and being a friendly, well-regarded neighbor in NS. This can be the source for more cultural exchanges, support in our military endeavors, authors and thinkers in our WA work or allies to help our efforts in passing resolutions. Ad of course we can only be better at using both of those programs and crafting others like them by polishing our ranks of diplomats and preparing them to be professional and helpful stewards of this region to the world at large. By the time this term comes to an end, I hope to have our ranks full of eager ambassadors and staff who are giving their all to maintaining the completed programs, and who have the confidence and comfort necessary to know what to say and how to say it, and what to discover and learn and how to convey it to our region.
I want our ministry to be a strong team, one that can stand the test of time and lead the way for future ministers and diplomats to carry on their work no matter who is elected. What we do is important and goes beyond simply pushing paper. I hope we can make such a strong foundation that we blaze a trail anyone who comes after us cannot help but follow. And that team will be led by myself and my deputies, all of whom will have a particular area of focus and roe in completing these projects, all of whom are equally capable of assisting with the other tasks as needed.
With continuity being such an important thing for the ministry this term, I am incredibly thankful to have @TlomzKrano return to the ministry as a deputy minister. The UCR Outreach Program holds a special place in his heart, and he has the greatest vision for what it can do, both as an asset to TNP but also an asset to the regions we connect with. I know that there is something there, and I am confident he will be able to pull it out. The relationships he has built as WA minister and then FA minister will be essential to seeing this through, and they will continue to be a source of knowledge and comfort as we build stronger bonds with these regions.
I am happy to bring back @Owenstacey as a deputy. Owen was the minister prior to Tlomz and before that had a storied career as one of our senior diplomats and deputies the last time I held this office. He was instrumental in setting these projects up in the prior administration and we are counting on that knowledge to see the World Factbook project through to completion. I have also known him to be n incredible asset in interviewing diplomats and drilling down on the questions and answers that give us the complete picture we need. I expect he can apply those skills, and his proven attention to detail, to making the World Factbook one of TNP's premier creations to stand alongside the other great programs and creations we have produced for the world over the years.
It is also incredibly awesome that I can keep @Sanjurika in the ministry as a deputy. There are times when we are fortunate enough to have on staff diplomats who exude positivity and a knack for the professional and friendly communication that makes foreign affairs shine brightest. This is precisely who Sanjurika is. I want us to maintain our professional tone and approach to foreign affairs, but I do not want us to simply be robots regurgitating transmissions to embassy regions. I want to work on how we speak to our friends, neighbors, and allies, and introduce a softer, more familiar voice that tries to enhance the messages, the press releases, the information we send out, one that hopefully assists ambassadors in gathering information and building bonds that are more than just transactional. Sanjurika will be key in helping us be that friendlier, more substantial face in other regions.
Finally, I am adding @Pierce to the team as a deputy. We have a lot of promising talent in the ministry, and Pierce's work ethic and eagerness to dive right into the work as soon as he arrived really stood out. I like to give newer players an opportunity to shine, and because he has that fresh perspective I have no doubt he will know how to relate to the newcomers to our staff and have insight into how to improve our staff assignments and retention. I am also counting on Sanjurkia, who used to do this sort of thing primarily, to impart additional knowledge that will allow him to do the work with assignments and staffing that won't have as much focused attention from the other deputies given the other efforts we will be undertaking this term. A fresh set of eyes can help us see clearly how we can better motivate and utilize our diplomatic corps and complete the reorganization Tlomz sought to do so that our turnover is a natural part of our staffing process and not the entirety of our staffing work and management. That being said, Pierce's experience in other regions, including our ally Europeia, also means that he has less to learn about the substance of the job, and more to learn about the style and how to manage the ministry we have here in TNP. I expect the learning curve to be rather tame, and great things to come from his time in the ministry.
If all goes according to plan, the ministry this term will be a well-oiled machine, one that is retaining and utilizing its talent and potential talent to its full potential, one that sets a standard for the ministry that will ensure the days of brain drain and starting from scratch are behind us. TNP has a lot to give and a lot to teach, but it also has a lot to learn. I intend for our work this term to be one such example of how engaging with the community around us can allow us to deepen and develop relationships with other regions that change the game for the better, and enhance everyone's collective experience. Of course, this does not mean we will forget who we are or what is important to us. We will continue to stand firm for our ideals, celebrate and champion democracy, be fiercely independent but also show other regions the cool tricks and tips that we have developed over the years. We will defend our allies when they need help, and oppose vicious ideologies and hate. We will stand firm and fight when we have to, but it is my hope that we can find diplomatic solutions that allow everyone to benefit whenever possible. There is a lot to be gained by embracing what can be, and then striving hard to make it a reality. We will do so with clear eyes, but eyes that always look up in hope. I am optimistic that we will have a fantastic term, and I look forward to working with all of you.
-Pallaith
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