[Norway] Summoning The Swedish Ambassador

[Odinson]

A senior official from the Office of The Prime Minister picked up the phone and made an encrypted call to the Swedish Embassy in Oslo. He informed whomever answered that Prime Minister Frost has summoned the Swedish ambassador to Parkveien 45. The man calling stated that it was on the subject of Antarctica, but did not elaborate in further detail. It was made clear that the Prime Minister was waiting for the ambassador and that the matter was urgent.
@Connor

 

[Connor]

Ambassador Axel Wernhoff immediately leaves following receipt of a message from the Prime Minister, concerned that the Swedish territories were under threat or that perhaps Sweden's only ally disapproves of the claims in the continent. Before he departs the embassy he is sure to grab his identification, long black trench coat and a conference file with the Swedish coat of arms emblazoned on the front. Alex nervously travels, eager to get to the Prime Minister's residence.

Upon arrival he presses the intercom at the external gate and awaits an answer...

 

[Odinson]

An agent from the Norwegian Police Security Service came outside and checked the Ambassador's identification. After verifying it, the ambassador was brought inside and set in a waiting room near the Prime Minister's office. After a few minutes, one of the Prime Minister's aids walked the ambassador to the office. She closed the door so that they were now both alone.

"Ambassador Wernhoff," Dr. Felix Frost, the Prime Minister of Norway, said. He was an older man with white hair. He was wearing black plastic glasses, and at times looked more like a university professor then the Head of Government. He was known for normally being a jovial, upbeat man which made it that much more noticeable when he was being serious, as he was now.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, please take a seat. Can I offer you anything? I've been informed that Sweden appears to be claiming all of Antarctica, including Peter I island and Queen Maud Land, both of which are Norwegian territory... With Sweden being Norway's closest ally, I thought it would be better for us to talk privately instead of issuing a formal, public statement, or discussing this publicly in the Storting. Is Sweden going to persist on claiming our Antarctic territories?"

@Connor

 

[Connor]

The Ambassador scurries into office with his folder held firmly underarm, as he enters the office he assumes usual diplomatic etiquette in which he immediately shakes the hand of the Prime Minister "Mr Prime Minister, it is good to see you, it's been a while since we've sat in the same room! It's always a pleasure to come and see you, I could do with a still water if that's possible?" he unzips his folder, removing a pen from his suit jacket.

"The Kingdom of Sweden currently recognises the entirety of the continent of Antarctica as sovereign territory under the crown, this has been undisputed for a significant amount of time now... except a small blip with South Africa which seems to have died down with them submitting to our claim. Norway, as our government repeats regularly, is a brother to Sweden and I'd hate to be in a position where I see this alliance crumble. Does Norway currently have a government-lead agency with the capability to operate within Antarctica and secure both Queen Maud Land and Peter I Island?"

 

[Odinson]

The Prime Minister of course shook the hand of the Swedish diplomat and happily poured a glass of water.

"Well... yes. If need be, the Armed Forces could secure these territories, but there's nothing much to secure since they are essentially nature preserves at the moment. The Norwegian Polar Institute exists as well; I've been arguing that it needs more funding and personnel, and I think that the Storting will soon grant me this wish. Why do you ask?" he said as he poured himself a glass of water.
@Connor

 

[Connor]

"Mr Prime Minister it's without doubt that following your interest in Antarctica other nations across the globe are going to want a slice of the continent, we are treating this as territory of the crown and will treat it as such. I do not want to sit where and whittle the Norwegian/Swedish relationship down over a continent inhabited by researchers; as you know I, along with my government, are eager to develop our alliance further and further as more opportunities come to fruition."

Clearing his throat with a glass of water he continues with the intent to steer the Prime Minister in the right direction.

"The use of Armed Forces in Antarctica is currently unheard of... in fact it's something we have intentionally prevented to minimise the potential for pollution in the region effecting scientific research. I am interested Norwegian Polar Institute and their capabilities... We have operatives from the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat which are empowered with law enforcement capabilities as Swedish law is actively enforced."

 

[Odinson]

Dr. Frost blinked a few times and set down his glass of water.

"Ambassador, I asked you here to clear this up. It would be detrimental to the relationship between our countries if Sweden continues to claim our sovereign territory..." he folded his hands and sat back.
"I'm not interested in publicly shaming the Swedish government. If you could simply have all Swedish entities and persons cease any and all operations in our territories, and somehow amend your government's postings on the Swedish Polar Institutes fact page to not include Norwegian territories, and officially recognize our Antarctic territories as the sovereign territory of Norway and in no way Swedish, then we can fix this issue. In return, the Norwegian government could quietly recognize Sweden's claim to the rest of the continent... Would this agreement be acceptable?" he asked.

"I'm aware of Sweden's history of legal... expertise, so I'm going to have the Minister of Justice read over whatever you do to make that a reality, but I trust as an ally that you'd do this in good faith if the Swedish government was willing to do this..." Dr. Frost said.
@Connor

 

[Connor]

"Mr Prime Minister, rest assured that I understand your position and I have absolutely no intent to demolish our long-standing relationship but as you can probably understand the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat has been operating continent-wide up to now and it's not as simple and giving you these territories back - Perhaps we could come to a continued operational agreement in which we can collaboratively work across the continent without dispute, and in return the Swedish crown will recognise Norwegian territory as Queen Maud Land and Peter I Island; however there is then the matter of recognised borders because, as I said, we actively enforce Swedish law in Antarctica and I'm sure naturally Norwegian law differs slightly?"

 

[Odinson]

Dr. Frost visibly frowned before sipping his water.

"Ambassador, I think you may have been misinformed... We monitor these territories. I spoke with the Minister of Justice earlier today - who's ministry presently maintains and protects Norway's Crown Dependencies. Sweden has no active personnel or facilities in our territory. If you would like the Swedish Polar Institute to work with the Norwegian Polar Institute in the future, I'm sure we could come to an agreement in that regard. But that is presently a separate issue from our country's sovereignty. So I need to ask that your government agrees to these terms in order to avoid an international diplomatic incident.." he said.
@Connor

 

[Connor]

"Mr Prime Minister, with respect, we have been operating under these circumstances for months with no contact from Norway whatsoever. The Swedish crown is held in extremely high regard in our nation, so whilst I am eager to have such a close an reliable ally in Norway, I don't want to see Korea-style borders imposed in what is, and should remain, an epicentre for polar research. I want to facilitate this agreement, desperately, we have always worked together and between us... I don't want to see a block of ice become a fracture in our future. All I ask is that we have freedom of movement on the continent, nothing more, nothing less - future cooperation between our organisations is definitely something I would like to look at."

He sips his water...

"In brief, our bad... okay? I'm sorry, I appreciate that you'll recognise the rest of our claim in the region"

 

[Odinson]

"Under Norwegian law, any subject of the Crown visiting our dependencies must get permission from the government to go there. Any foreign citizen, including Swedes, would need to request a VISA and go through Norwegian customs... I'd be happy four our respective governments to sign a treaty saying that we recognize the free movement of Norwegian and Swedish civilians in Queen Maud Land and the Swedish Antarctic Territory. In this same treaty, we could recognize each other's claims and territorial integrity. I had a document written that outlines this. I was assuming that this was some kind accident or mistake on your government's part... I didn't actually think your government claimed our territory and thought they could get away with it.." Dr. Frost sounded exceptionally disappointed, and his trust in the Swedish government has likely been seriously compromised. Nevertheless, fixing this issue and making it right would be a crucial first-step in repairing Norwegian-Swedish relations. Dr. Frost slid two copies of the following document over to the Ambassador (one was written in Swedish, and the other was written in Norwegian) which he said he would expect the Prime Minister of Sweden to sign, and for the Swedish Parliament to ratify if they wished to proceed with righting this wrong:
@Connor

The Scandinavian Antarctic Treaty of 1995

Preamble
As diplomatic allies and national brothers of the same people, it is incredibly important for the kingdoms of Norway and Sweden to recognize and respect each other's territorial sovereignty. This treaty was written to ensure that the Antarctic territories of both kingdoms are clear and respected by both nations.

Article 1
1. The Kingdom of Norway recognizes that Antarctica is the exclusive sovereign territory of the Kingdom of Sweden, except for: Queen Maud Land, Peter I Island, and Bouvet Island.
a. If the Kingdom of Norway changes, renames, dissolves, or integrates its Crown Dependencies, Sweden will still recognize these territories as the exclusive sovereign territory of the Kingdom of Norway.
b. Queen Maud Land, Peter I Island, and Bouvet Island are individually defined in Article 2.
c. If the Kingdom of Sweden lessens its claims to territory in Antarctica, the Kingdom of Norway may modify the area it recognizes as Swedish to reflect the present claim.

Article 2
1. The Kingdom of Sweden recognizes that Queen Maud Land, Peter I Island, and Bouvet Island are the exclusive sovereign territory of the Kingdom of Norway, and relinquishes any and all claims to these places.
a. Queen Maud Land is all of the Antarctic land and islands between 20 degrees West and 45 degrees East, as well as the waters up to 60 degrees South, and down to the geographic South Pole.
b. Peter I Island is the island located at 68.8282° S, 90.6157° W, as well as the surrounding territorial waters, contiguous zone, and exclusive economic zone.
c. Bouvet Island is the island located at 54.4208° S, 3.3464° E , as well as the surrounding territorial waters, contiguous zone, and exclusive economic zone.

Article 3
1. Citizens of the Kingdom of Norway may freely travel through all Swedish territory in Antarctica.
a. Norwegian citizens must abide by, and are subject to, Swedish law when in Sweden.
b. Norwegian soldiers and intelligence agents are not permitted to freely travel through Swedish territory in Antarctica without permission from the Swedish government.
2. Citizens of the Kingdom of Sweden may freely travel through Queen Maud Land.
a. Swedish citizens must abide by, and are subject to, Norwegian law when in Norway.
b. Swedish soldiers and intelligence agents are not permitted to freely travel through Norwegian territory in Antarctica without permission from the Norwegian government.
3. Parts 1 and 2 of this article may not be used to enter buildings, military facilities, secure areas, or artificially enclosed places. Parts 1 and 2 only apply to open areas of land.
4. Norwegian and Swedish citizens are required to have their passports (or a legible color-copy of it) with them when travelling through the Antarctic territory of a country which they are not a citizen of.

Article 4
1. The King, Prime Minister, and Foreign Minister of Norway and the King, Prime Minister, and Foreign Minister (or equivalent) of Sweden shall sign this treaty.
2. The Norwegian and Swedish legislatures shall, through their respective legal processes, ratify this treaty in full and within seventy-two hours of signing it.
3. This treaty is valid and legally binding unless it is formally nullified by either signatory, or both.
a. To formally nullify this treaty, a signatory must have their legislature, through their respective legal process, officially nullify this treaty.
b. Before formally nullifying this treaty, the nullifier must inform the foreign ministry of the other signatory thirty (30) days before the nullification.
4. This treaty does not take effect until both the kingdoms of Norway and Sweden ratify this treaty.
5. Norwegian and Swedish flags flown within 100 meters of the geographic South Pole must be flown at the same height.



Signed For The Kingdom of Norway

Oskar
The King of Norway

Felix Frost
Prime Minister of Norway

Anthony Vinter
Foreign Minister of Norway



Signed For The Kingdom of Sweden


The King of Sweden


Prime Minister of Sweden


Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Sweden

 

[Odinson]

@Connor

 

[Odinson]

@Connor

 

[Connor]

"I am happy to bring this to the attention of His Majesty the King of Sweden and the Government, as you can probably appreciate I'm not in a position to sign away what is currently recognised as sovereign territory of Sweden... that's above my pay grade."

 

[Odinson]

"I understand the position that you are in," Dr. Frost said as he folded his hand. "I look forward to your return, seeing as this is currently the most pressing matter between Norway and Sweden, at the moment. I'll be waiting." He stood up and offered to shake the ambassador's hand. The ambassador was of course able to keep his copy of the treaty so that it could be presented to the Swedish government.
@Connor

 

[Connor]

The Swedish copy of the treaty is secured in a conference folder carried by the Ambassador, he stands cautiously and grips the Prime Ministers hand firmly.

"Mr Prime Minister, it's always a pleasure to see you, I very much hope that this issue is sorted soon so we can focus on agendas that can really make a difference to the region, our alliance and the future of our nations..."

 

[Odinson]

"I'm sure we'll be able to resolve this. I'm going to bring this to the Storting for approval this afternoon, so hopefully we can get this to move along quickly," he said. If there was nothing else to be said, the Swedish ambassador would be offered some coffee for the road before being escorted out of the Prime Minister's residence.
@Connor