ForestBoard

~On a less American-specific note~

As many of you know Armenia and Azerbaijan are at it again, fighting over the Nagorno-Karabakh (aka Artsakh). The two fought a full out war from 1992 to 1994, and have been rivals ever since.

Armenia is currently supporting Artsakh, which is the self-proclaimed country located in the Nagorno-Karabakh. It is effectively a puppet state of Armenia, much like how Northern Cyprus is just a puppet of Turkey. That being said, however, Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh is majority ethnic-Armenian, and the Armenian people have been discriminated against for years.

Armenia seems to be mostly on its own, with the exception of some Syrian-Armenian militias (Ethnic Armenians living in Syria) and possibly some brigades of Rojava and the PKK, which is a Kurdish separatist militant group in Turkey. The Republic of Cyprus, Transnistria, and Abkhazia have all also declared their support for Armenia, though it is unlikely that they will contribute to the war. In the 1992-1994 War, Armenia was supported and supplied by Russia, as well as the Cossacks of Kuban in Russia, and the Ossetians in both South Ossetia (a self-declared country that is claimed by Georgia) and Russia.

Azerbaijan, meanwhile, has always been strongly supported by Turkey, due to a combined disdain for Armenia, plus Azerbaijan is both majority Muslim and Turkic. Turkey has sent troops to support Azerbaijan, and they’ve also convinced their allies in the Syrian Opposition to declare their support for Azerbaijan. Thus, Azerbaijan is currently being supported by Turkey and some Syrian Rebel groups. In addition, during the 1992-1994 War, it was supported by the Ukraine, Israel, and Serbia.

So, nations of Forest, whom do you support? Or do you like the antebellum status quo? And who do your IC nations support?

Middle Barael wrote:

So, nations of Forest, whom do you support? Or do you like the antebellum status quo? And who do your IC nations support?

I'm similarly not well versed in the politics of the Caucasus, but I tend to think a little more highly of Armenia than Azerbaijan. Neither is very good, but I can sympathise more with Armenia, since the Armenians in the region clearly don't want to be Azerbaijani (and elections seem to be a bit rigged for Aliyev, so I doubt they could create a niche for themselves politically). Plus Turkey really bothers me with their diplomacy, particularly the anti-Kurdish rhetoric and full-on invading Syria.

Honeydewistania wrote:

ICly, I’m against the existence of Nagorno-Karabakh because their flag is absolutely hideous. It’s a crime against vexillogy and my eyes.

Excuse me, but I think the Artsakh flag is kinda nice. It doesn't have a coat of arms, for one, which is one of my biggest pet peeves of vexillology, and the colours and pattern are simple enough that I can get behind it.

Darths and Droids is ranked 224,812th in the world and 453rd in Forest for Healthiest Citizens, with 0.39 Bananas Ingested Per Day.

There's a good IC explanation for this. The people are so environmentally sensitive (and perhaps misinformed) that they don't eat meat (or seldom do when I accidentally cancel the policy) and because of their extreme primitivism don't know the nutritional requirements of the body as well as they ought and so they are unhealthy as unhealthy can be. Their fishing industry is crap, so no supplements from there. You could say they receive aid from Brancaland or something of that nature.

Middle Barael wrote:

So, nations of Forest, whom do you support? Or do you like the antebellum status quo? And who do your IC nations support?

I don't care OOC, and IC, Darths and Droids would immediately attempt to start offering to mediate peace between the nations. For The Ascendant Hive, well...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC8uoGW2ptc

Shalotte wrote:

There is absolutely, 100%, no way whatsoever chance in the Taemorth that I would be able to sit still for longer than five minutes without making a sarcastic comment.

Just now, in text form, I had to resist the urge to say "quiet in here, isn't it?"

Try getting married, waiting ten years, then putting Netflix on. Three hours of contemplative silence every evening, without fail.

To answer my own question:

OOC, of course I want peace. However, I do defend Armenia’s right to statehood, and I feel that ownership of the Nagorno-Karabakh should depend on whom the people want to be a part of. Or if that fails, perhaps make it a new neutral buffer state?

Also, I dislike all the foreign intervention, particularly Turkey’s. It seems like every war, Turkey must get involved in, whether its the Nagorno-Karabakh, Libya, or Syria. I also dislike them for the Armenian genocide, and for their treatment of Kurds in both Syria and in the parts of Syria and Rojava that they invaded.

IC, Middle Barael has almost the same views. It should be noted, however, that the city of Terevan in Middle Barael is about 1/3 ethnic Armenian, and so there have been protests, counter-protests, and even a small riot in the past few days over the issue. It is important to note, however, that the protests and the riot were also partially caused by growing tensions between the Armenians and the Italians + Venetians, as well as the recent large caravan of Lom people that arrived at the city (the Lom or Lomavren are an ethnic group comprised of Armenians intermarrying with Romani over the centuries, yielding essentially an Armenia-fied version of the Romani).

However, this pressure from Terevan has not stopped King Solomon (don’t worry, King is just an elected title, much like a president) from trying to end the war and bring back the antebellum status quo.

Now the vote is at a 3/4 majority 😛

Middle Barael wrote:

So, nations of Forest, whom do you support? Or do you like the antebellum status quo? And who do your IC nations support?

I support Armenia, for the simple reason that Nagorno-Karabakh deserves independence from Azerbaijan. And to be fair, their flag isn't that bad.

Verdant Haven wrote:

From my own perspective, the chief question I had was "Does this embassy request accurately represent the will of the people of St Abbaddon, or is this part of a long series of coup attempts and bad blood that is going to lead to either a dead embassy or hard feelings with the true native inhabitants?" I'm guessing, given the circumstances, that they do not in-fact represent the will of the people, but I'm certainly willing to hear otherwise if you think it's the case. Thoughts?

I'm only a passive observer in the Discord and the region, always have been since March, 2018.

In fact I held moderator status on the Discord for the longest time after I was dismissed as a regional officer and only recently was I finally removed from that role around the time Allangoria showed up (I trust that the rest of the Elders had their reasons, my inactivity being chief among them). My position really had only been as a security officer and afterwards basic Discord security. I hold no real relevance in St Abbaddon, I do not participate in its RP or in its community, and so my opinion does not represent the region in any capacity.

The actual native inhabitants are, in my opinion, those who have made it their home and have formed a community there. The player who originally created the region is not a native in my eyes as he barely even had time for Pacifica (which is why Thalassia exists in the first place), letting the founder CTE twice until the influential delegate kept badgering him to revive it each time got through. If they want an embassy, then they do want an embassy. My stance therefore is as a resident of Forest, and I vote no because I don't want an embassy with St Abbaddon and that's the only reason.

Verdant Haven wrote:

Thank you for the link - I had been made vaguely aware of the occurrence, but that is most helpful.

Taking a look at the St Abbaddon region again, I see that this player (under the name Allangoria) has quit their government post and has departed for The Graveyard, as did one of their other puppets from another region. They posted what amounts to an apology/farewell from another of their accounts in a different region. Basically, it looks like this player bit off more than they could chew with some sort of multi-region puppeteering attempt, and is ditching out on... whatever it was.

Crystal is mostly a cosmopolitan, and they’ve always been involved in many regions at a time. They were Head of Government in one of the regions I’m involved in for quite some time (taking the reigns from me)

After a little more research and reading through some of the comments on this RMB, I have changed my vote from yes to no in regards to the creation of an embassy with St Abbaddon.

Darn fat fingers...