[Sweden]: Message to Britain

[Connor]

Government of Sweden
Löfven Administration

Security Classification: SECURE
Document Classification and Security Act 1995​

---

Dear Lawrence Adams MP,

I hope this correspondence reaches you well.

I write to you this afternoon as a not-too-distance neighbour of your island with the view to further develop the relationship between our nations. Up to now we have seen Britain only in passing through international events, the Global Assembly and conflict; through which Sweden has almost certainly developed a somewhat distant admiration for your political stature. There are a number of different subjects on my agenda that I would very much like to discuss with you in person and as such would like to invite you to Sweden for a meeting between our departments which will very much open the gates to a prosperous future between us - my office is located within Arvfurstens Palats, Palace of the Hereditary Prince, located in Gustav Adolfs Torg in central Stockholm.

Please inform me of your availability and whether you'd be willing to travel to Sweden, I will have security, flight planning and logistical challenges arranged locally.

Kind Regards,
Margot Wallström
Secretary of Foreign Affairs
Kingdom of Sweden

Jamie

---

Crown Copyright © Kingdom of Sweden
All information is subject to the Swedish Document Classification and Security Act 1995​

 

[Jamie]

As opposed to an email and due to the fact Mr Adams was otherwise occupied, the British Ambassador to Sweden had confirmed she would be happy to represent Britain and accept an invitation in person to discuss the affairs between both members.
The memo was sent, requesting an idea of when the Swedish Secretary would be available for the Ambassador to arrive within Arvfurstens Palats as she can work around his Swedish hosts.

Connor

 

[Connor]

Secretary Wallström's personal assistant would inform the British Ambassador to Sweden that she is available tomorrow evening for the meeting to occur - the short distance from the British Embassy in Stockholm and Arvfurstens Palats was noted by the Swedish Security and Intelligence Community whom would be providing adequate security resourcing and a secondary request is sent to the Ambassador seeking information as to whether he required a security detail and vehicle for transport prior and following the meeting.

Jamie

 

[Jamie]

Abiding by the available time proposed by Secretary Wallström's personal assistant, the British Ambassador to Sweden, Jessica Kew would attend Arvfurstens Palats, making her own way there having advised the Swedish Government that no security was required. Jessica, upon her arrival, checked herself into reception and stood in the waiting room for her meeting to commence with the Swedish Secretary of Foreign Affairs. Holding nothing but a notebook and pen.

Connor

 

[Connor]

Margot Wallström, an elegant older woman, would clip clop her gloss black high heels through the hard-floored hallways all the way down to the waiting room within the reception area. She tugs either-side of her skirt further down, not wanting to expose too much knee... she wasn't a slut. Margot very quickly opens her arms in greeting and echos her voice through the very open, historically decorated room.

"Ambassador! Welcome to Arvfurstens Palats! I'm so glad you found the time to meet with me this evening, please follow me through to my office, can I get you anything to drink before we begin?"

Jamie

 

[Jamie]

Jessica couldn't help but smile as Margot walked in, "Pleasure to be here." she smiled, following her through the room and into her office. "A glass of water would be appreciated, thank you." she paused, Jess took a seat ready for the meeting to officially begin, "How has everything been?"

Connor

 

[Connor]

Margot flicks her hair behind her left ear, moving a black leather chair for Jessica to take a seat at a polished coffee table on-which were a number of clean glasses and a decanter of spring water. Margot would take one of the glasses and pour the water, sliding it towards Jessica's seat before pouring her own glass and taking a quick sip. From atop her desk Margot drags a black conference folder on-which the Swedish coat of arms was emblazoned, as she unzips it she would make conversation.

"Oh, let me tell you, I'm exhausted - the kids have just started school so they're... a challenge in the mornings, but we're getting there. How about yourself?"

She flicks the conference folder open on her lap which allowed her to remove a notepad and place it on the coffee table infront of her.

Jamie

 

[Jamie]

Jessica remained sat, her legs overlapping beneath the desk when she leaned forward to take her own glass of water, having a gentle sip. She couldn't refrain her grin at the mention of the children starting school "Fortunately mine have gotten into the routine.. not that it gets any easier" Jessica proceeded to roll her eyes. "Excited to be here, if I'm honest. I think it has been well overdue for a proper meeting, especially given the amount of complicating that has been occurring across the world which has seen a huge spike in tensions between countries. Better late than never, I suppose', where would you like to begin?" she smiled.

Connor

 

[Connor]

Margot grins, for once a conversation with a diplomat that wasn't a repeated script; "Honestly, you have experienced a battle until you're trying to get school shoes on a screaming child, throwing a tantrum over having blackcurrant instead of orange juice..." - she laughs briefly before flicking her hair out of her face and pushing into the specifics of the meeting.

"I'm really glad you found the time to see me, Ambassador, we are in the wake of some of the most troubling times in Swedish history and our relationship with the globe. There are a few subjects I am interested to get your opinion on." she pauses, taking a sip of water before continuing "Sweden is invested in the focus on national security at the moment and following the..- situation..- in the southern hemisphere, we are looking at how we manage our diplomatic missions internationally and the legislation that surrounds this subject. To cut a long story short I am concerned that the Global Assembly is holding too much control on who we see sitting inside our borders and we're pushing to make amendments to relevant legislation to give nations more control over their own national security including the safety of those representing our nation globally."

Margot takes a breath, desperately trying not to bury the Ambassador with an astronomic amount of information so early in the conversation: "I guess what I'm asking is, what's your view on the matter?"

Jamie

 

[Jamie]

Jessica couldn't help but smile "I can't say my little ones are that bad. We've had a few.. hiccups along the way but in general, they're easy going. I once came home from a night out.. as you do, to find the nanny rushing around chasing them to clean them up.
They had only gone and decided to.. umm.. 'toilet' everywhere and rub it in. I certainly wasn't impressed." she laughed, almost giving a bit too much information away but hopefully it worked well for her building up relations. Something a bit more light hearted.
In a moment, she flicked to discuss business. "Overall, I see the Global Assembly as a great forum for nations to work together, but the good thing about the organisation is its ability to change on demand from those involved. Thus far, the resolutions have all been met with a substantial response.
However, we are, as always, open to viewing amendments and giving our thoughts. Might I inquire as to the specific aspect you would like changing? This would help me give a more rounded view if that is Ok with you?" she smiled.

Connor

 

[Connor]

"Oh dear, I bet that was a nightmare to get out! Thank god for shake n' vac! Hopefully they've learned the errors of their ways, I wouldn't be very impressed if my kids went... toilet... on my cream carpets." Margot takes another gulp of water, slightly taken aback by the vile cretin behaviour of Jessica's children, are they monsters in Britain?

"Oh undeniably. I'm not here to drum up support for the dissolution of the Global Assembly but I do believe we need to be frank with ourselves when it comes to matters of national security and whether the international community are the ones best suited to dictate who is and is not allowed within our own borders. Specifically Ambassador we're focussed on the Resolution of International Diplomacy, it's no secret that it failed Sweden recently with its limitations, duplication and consequently blurring of the Vienna Convention and lack of detail surrounding extradition of former diplomats and staff. We, as a community, are not giving those that serve our country the necessary protections to complete their jobs without fear of prosecution." she pauses, briefly "If we look back in history, and even to date, there are diplomatic missions in countries that are not even recognised by the majority of the globe; these representatives are fundamental to repairing cracks in modern diplomacy yet sit in their office knowing that at any stage they could be arrested and held indefinitely in an undisclosed facility."

Jamie

 

[Jamie]

"Definitely" Jessica giggled, "I suppose it's one of those things you can look back at and ... sort of appreciate? Or just wait until they are old enough to use it against them". She laughed, proceeding to clear her throat as they continued to talk business. "I can understand your concern relating to the restrictions imposed by the International Diplomacy Resolution. We, and of course the Global Assembly on a wider scale are often open to hearing discussions and arguments for and against certain changes so we would voice our support for bringing any amendments to the chamber. May I ask what the actual amendment is you are going to be, or thinking of, proposing to the Assembly?"

Connor

 

[Connor]

"In all honesty we are looking to scrap the Resolution on International Diplomacy and instead replace it with the Reformed Resolution on International Diplomacy, which is essentially a bolt-on to the Vienna Convention which includes a number of clauses to articles already written. There are many changes that've been made so far... here is a sort of 'change log' thusfar:" Margot slides an A4 piece of paper across the table towards the British

"A1.1 (EXPUNGED) - Duplication of writings within Article 3 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations
A1.1a to 1.1b (AMENDED) - Specification of writings within Article 11 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations
A1.2 (EXPUNGED) - Duplication of writings within Article 22 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations
A1.3 (EXPUNGED) - Duplication of writings within Article 22 and Article 45 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations
A1.4 (AMENDED) - Specification of writings within Article 25 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations
A1.5 (EXPUNGED) - May be construed as preventing the performance of consular functions by a diplomatic mission (Article 3 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations)
A1.6 (EXPUNGED) - Duplication of writings within Article 11 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations
A1.7 (AMENDED) - Rescripted and bolstered to be within the phrase index of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations
A2.1 (EXPUNGED) - Duplication of writings within Article 1 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations
A2.2 (EXPUNGED) - Duplication of writings within Article 29, 31, 35, and 36 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations
A2.3 (AMENDED) - Rescripted and bolstered to be within the phrase index of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations
A2.3a (EXPUNGED) - Duplication of writings within Article 30 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations
A2.3b (AMENDED) - Rescripted and bolstered to be within the phrase index of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations
A2.4 (EXPUNGED) - Duplication of writings within Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations
A3.1 (AMENDED) - Specification of the introduction of "members of the security staff"
A3.1c (EXPUNGED) - Duplication of writings within Article 11 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations
A3.2 (EXPUNGED) - Duplication of writings within Article 1 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations"​

"There's a lot of changes and there's still more to go... fundamentally we have restructured the way the Global Assembly manage the distribution of staff making it the responsibility of the hosting State to allow for the proportionate growth of a diplomatic mission including that of its staff. We have ensured that those with diplomatic immunity, and loop holes to enable those who should not, do not, receive immunity. We have also redefined the way information is available from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or equivalent, meaning they must publicly publish restrictions on personnel levels from all categories defined in Article 1 of the Vienna Convention, including the amendment made to include 'members of the security staff'"

Jamie

 

[Jamie]

After a brief glance over the change log, Jessica smiled and nodded "I am sure I can offer more upon seeing the full proposed agreement your delegation will be offering, as that will be discussed at the chamber.
The United Kingdom is certainly open to any proposed amendments, or complete replacement of existing resolutions providing it ensures the safety of diplomatic staff and prevents loop holes.
Based on what you've said, I'm sure it's something we will support and back, though. Speaking of International Staff, at the moment the UK only sticks with the minimum requirements set by the Global Assembly.
I was going to propose we evaluate that but if you intend to make a proposal, we will hold off for the full agreement before discussing further if that works for yourself." Jessica took a sip off her drink.

Connor

 

[Connor]

"I would be interested to hear your views, Ambassador, does Great Britain have anything in particular they'd like to see amended into the Vienna Convention or alternatively provided in a completely separate resolution? I'm curious to see what's really effecting your governments diplomacy abroad and how Sweden can facilitate that whether temporarily with a bilateral arrangement or by Global Assembly resolution to change the face of the world stage."

Jamie

 

[Jamie]

"I shall be honest, our current diplomatic policies abroad have been very smooth and unhitched. We are open to having more control over our diplomatic missions naturally but from the top of my head, I'm afraid I'm useless with some ideas to pitch!" she laughed. "I think this brings a discussion that needs to be have actually, regarding the diplomatic staff and security that we each share at our diplomatic missions. As per the Global Assembly resolution, we currently host up to twenty Diplomatic Staff, 30 Mission Staff and 22 Security Personnel; this is the same for us across the globe currently to keep us compliant with this. However, as we are both in such discussions, I would be happy to re-negotiate that for both the UK and Swedish missions to ensure we are both happy with the staff we have. Despite the GA resolution. We are quite content with how it is currently based, but is there any changes you'd like to see regarding our missions?"

Connor

 

[Connor]

Margot chuckles alongside the Ambassador before continuing "That's fine, that's fine; I think the Reformed Resolution on International Diplomacy will cover a lot of the loop holes, duplications and misnomers in the provision of diplomatic missions worldwide once our Ambassador to the Global Assembly, Marc Kvet, has the opportunity to present the written draft to the chamber for review. One thing this resolution will not cover however is the level of the use of force, personal protective equipment and the extent of security equipment such as CCTV on the premises; these are all things I really do think are necessary to discuss."

She flicks the page of her notepad, making a note at the top of the page and underlining it - "I suppose the logical start point would be physical security and surveillance equipment as I understand at the core of British values is the right to privacy; are there any limitations on how much and what surveillance equipment we may use within our mission?"

Jamie

 

[Jamie]

"That sounds perfect, I am sure, once the full agreement has been reviewed by the Global Assembly, we will see a major change to cut out loopholes and prevent conflicts when it comes to International Diplomacy, it's certainly one of the most vital aspects of any country as that is the difference between peace and war so we will wait for your proposal to be pushed to the Global Assembly and go from there." she smiled. "You are allow surveillance equipment on site but that is limited to CCTV cameras, beyond that, physical security are permitted, however, we'd request that are the most they are only armed with handguns to be used as a life or death scenario. Naturally, we'd intend for our law enforcement to tackle any intrusions to the embassy and it prevents any more.. complicated paperwork" Jess laughed "What kind of surveillance are you looking to install?"

Connor

 

[Connor]

"That's fine by me, we would also like to install exterior sound surveillance equipment to monitor access points to the property and include the integration of all surveillance equipment to our servers in order to be accessed by the Department of Foreign Affairs in Sweden remotely. Our National Security Office personnel will surrender their rifles on the basis that they are also permitted to carry taser and any subsequent upgrade of the taser, ideally we'd like to avoid using firearms as much as possible."

Jamie

 

[Jamie]

"We are happy for you to install such, providing it does not breach the property itself and is solely for the purpose of the embassy and no further --" Jess paused, her phone beeping. "Opps, sorry." she checked her phone to a text message, a few moments passed and she put it down before resuming. "Sorry about that, if we are finished on the discussion of Embassies given our agreement for sound surveillance, I have just been asked to mention another topic if you'd be happy to discuss, and that actually falls down to military cooperation. Thankfully, your government has been informing ourselves of developments regarding a French Strike Group moving in the North Sea, your own vessels passing the English Channel, et cetera. We'd very much like to explore the aspect of cooperation in the military sector given our proximity to the North Sea but also the consideration that for you to deploy further around Europe, you require either the North Sea and / or the English Channel. I have nothing specific, but maybe along the lines of a naval task force to respond to potential threats in the North Sea; or perhaps start with some joint exercises."

Connor