After many months of work dating back to Escade's second term, the FA Team is proud to present the Treaty of Capricorn, a bilateral treaty with our fellow Feeder, the Pacific.

We feel that TP is a great partner. The Game of Thrones Festival we held with them at the end of last year was a huge success, as was the UPPERCUT alliance together with TP and TNP for Z-Day. The South Pacific Special Forces and the Legio Pacificus have frequently collaborated, especially in missions targeting nazis, fascists, and other such hateful groups.

Much care has been taken in drafting to ensure that the unique paradigms of each signatory are taken into account. I will be happy to answer any and all questions about this (Tim is currently on LoA, but will also pop in when he has a moment to do the same).

The treaty was presented to the Cabinet on March 7 and received unanimous support. I, as duly appointed surrogate for MoFA Tim in this matter, hereby present this treaty proposal to the Assembly for discussion and ratification as per Article VI.2 of the Charter.

And now, without further ado, here is the treaty text:

Quote:

Treaty of Capricorn

Preamble.

The South Pacific and The Pacific, endeavoring to promote the ideals of peace and unity among amiable GCRs, ensure good relations and cooperation between our two great regions, and recognize the legitimate governments of each other, have agreed to the following Treaty of Capricorn.

Article I. Mutual Recognition of Government Legitimacy.

Section 1. The signatories to this treaty recognize as legitimate governments that government espoused by the authoritative representatives of each region, and will not extend that recognition to any government otherwise represented.

Section 2. The Pacific shall be authoritatively represented by the Emperor in their function as authoritarian head of its governance, or in their absence by the Regent as the Emperor-appointed deputy of the Emperor.

Section 3. The South Pacific shall be authoritatively represented by the government of the Coalition of the South Pacific, embodied principally for these purposes jointly by the Prime Minister as head of government and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, unless the Council of Regional Security, as the Coalition’s security institution, lawfully declares a state of emergency, in which case it shall be authoritative for the duration of the state of emergency.

Section 4. Should the government of either signatory change, authoritative representation will be performed by the corresponding functionally equivalent positions or institutions.

Article II. Security and Decorum.

Section 1. The signatories shall not attack the home region or any territory of the other signatory.

Section 2. The signatories shall not seek to destabilize or overthrow, either directly or through a third party, the governance of the home region or any territory of the other signatory.

Section 3. The signatories shall not conduct clandestine operations, espionage, or other forms of spying against the other signatory.

Section 4. The signatories shall not publicly censure the other signatory. Views expressed by individual members of the signatories, who are not speaking on behalf of the government, are not to be considered reflective of the government’s stance.

Section 5. The signatories shall not vote for or against a Security Council resolution if doing so directly damages the home region or any territory of the other signatory. The signatories shall always oppose condemnations and support repeals of condemnations of the other signatory unless explicitly requested by that other signatory.

Section 6: The signatories shall not conspire to commit any of the acts proscribed herein.

Section 7. The signatories shall, in good faith, report any known threat or concern related to the other signatory's security, to the other signatory.

Article III. Mutual Defense.

Section 1. The signatories to this treaty may seek assistance for their self-defense by lodging an official request with the authoritative representative. Unless otherwise specified herein, aid is optional and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Section 2. Both signatories agree to aid each other against attempts or acts to illegally overthrow the in-game Delegate of their respective home regions and territories. The signatories will meet for discussions on any matters when, in the opinion of either signatory, the stability or sovereignty of either signatory is threatened.

Section 3. All other requests for aid will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Article IV. Cooperation.

Section 1. The signatories will endeavor to conduct communal cultural activities, to the benefit of the people of both signatories.

Section 2. The signatories shall share in-game and off-site embassies in order to allow cross-posting. If an illegal delegate of a signatory region closes the in-game embassy with the signatory region's counterpart, embassies shall be restored immediately following the restoration of the legitimate delegate.

Article V. Military Affairs.

Section 1. The signatories to this treaty agree to work with each other, from time to time, and as circumstances permit, on mutually beneficial military operations, including training missions and confidence-building measures.

Section 2. In pursuing cooperation in military operations, both signatories agree that:
a. Participation on opposite sides of a military engagement does not automatically constitute any hostility or attack on either signatory by the other.
b. Should the signatories participate on opposite sides of a military engagement, they will meet for the purposes of discussing the engagement, and resolving any conflict, within a week of its happening.
c. Should there be no compromise or definite conclusion as result to the discussions regarding the military engagement in question, the signatories agree to re-evaluate the significance of this treaty up to the point of suspension and termination in goodwill.

Section 3. Both signatories agree to keep classified any information regarding military cooperation, and only publish such information in a manner mutually agreed upon.

Section 4. Both signatories agree to share intelligence as circumstances permit.

Article VI. Deposit and Clarification.

Section 1. This treaty shall be deposited in the community forums of each signatory such that the authoritative representatives can access it.

Section 2. The signatories to this treaty undertake to settle any and all disputes between them through peaceful means and to refrain from using the threat of force or sanction against one another while this treaty is in force.

Section 3. The signatories to this treaty will meet at least once a year to discuss the merits of this treaty. If both signatories agree that it is no longer merited, it will become void immediately.

Section 4. At any time, the signatories may meet to clarify the terms of this treaty through memorandums of understanding, which shall be posted alongside the treaty.

Article VII. Suspension of Terms and Termination of the Treaty.

Section 1. Either signatory may suspend the terms of the treaty, if the other signatory has materially breached its terms, until such a time that both signatories peacefully settle the dispute and adopt a memorandum of understanding that the treaty is again in force.

Section 2. Either signatory may terminate the treaty with a public notice to the other signatory, effective after five days.

And again, I'm ready and eager for all of your questions and comments (and I am sure there will be many)!