Translation
An hour or so later, the delegates meet in the main chambers for dinner. The meal consists of a starter of a local soup, a main course of lamb and vegetables, and a dessert of a local delicacy. A fine wine would also be served. The various diplomats exchange pleasantries until after the main course has been served. Once they have been served their main dishes, the discussions begin.
Prime Minister Constantine Zonaras of Byzantium is the first to speak. "May I ask what the purpose of this meeting is to be? I think we all can agree that the state of democracy in Europe is dire, but what can we do about it?" The others nod, looking to Gugkaeva to see what she will say.
Instead of responding, she turns to look at Bestayev, who nods. "Thank you. I understand your concerns Zonaras, they are valid ones. As you all likely recognize, a war in Europe is the last thing any of us want. To that extent, we must look towards other options to advance the cause of democracy. Therefore, I have a proposal to make. I would like to propose that we work covertly to push for democracy and to overthrow dictators throughout Europe. By spreading word amongst the populace we can be further assisted in this regard. Afterall, we all know that one of the greatest supporters of democracy are the people."
Maxime Ménard, the Foreign Minister of Burgundy, speaks next. "That sounds great and all, but who are we going to overthrow? And how do you propose doing this so that it doesn't lead back to us here?"
"Well, I was thinking we could start out small. Target a nearby country like Albania or Armenia. As for doing it in a way that can not be traced back to us, I was thinking we could ensure that our agents have plausible deniability. First, our agents would be given foreign passports, ones that would neither arouse suspicion nor could be traced back to us. For this I was thinking some nation in the Americas, maybe Mauritsland or the Wabanaki? A nation with a high immigration rate, and with wealthy citizens who go on vacation often. These agents would depart from Constantinople." He continues before Zonaras has a chance to say anything. "I chose Constantinople because it is a massive international city. People from all over the world travel there, and it would not be that unusual for tourists to continue from Constantinople to another destination, such as Van or Tirana. If we choose Armenia, Most of our agents will travel to Van, but I think some of them should also travel to Erzurum and Yerevan as well, in order to reach the most people possible. Once there, our agents will begin discretely making connections with democratic groups, and begin spreading propaganda amongst the younger generations with the goal of inciting them to open revolution towards democracy. Our belief is that if the local people want change hard enough, they will reach for it themselves."
Ménard nods, "I think you are on to something here. This plan sounds like it could really work, but what about language? Armenian and Albanian are not well known languages, and they are even more difficult to learn. I doubt popular languages like Greek or Latin are well known in either of these places."
Maerwynn Archer, President of Wessex, shakes her head. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree with you my Burgundian friend. Maybe in Albania neither language is well known, but I spent some time in Van in my youth, and I can assure you that Greek is well known there. Armenia's proximity to Byzantium has gone a long way towards helping ensure that knowledge of Greek stays alive. To add to that, the younger generation especially is invested in studying Greek in school. So I believe that we should target Armenia first, and that so long as we ensure our agents speak Greek, we shouldn't have too many issues."
Ménard thinks thoughtfully for a while, before slowly nodding, agreeing with the Anglo-Saxon President. "Very well, if you're certain, then I say Armenia it is. How about you, er, Jakub?" She adds, looking over at the Bohemian Minister.
Jakub Šindelář smiles, knowing that his surname is difficult to pronounce. "I agree, we should prepare to target Armenia at our earliest convenience. How many agents shall we send, and when? Should we send them all at once, or gradually, over several weeks?"
"I propose several dozen agents, both young and old, and that we send them gradually, over several weeks. Too many all at once can tip our hand, while not sending enough could lead to a failure of the mission." Zonaras states with certainty, to which the others nod agreeably.
"Very good, we will begin making our plans right away then. Are all four of you prepared to help support this operation financially? I will involve ensuring your media networks run pieces on the spread of democracy and freedom for people in these nations, and the support for our operatives, the creation of their false IDs, and work to prepare their plans once they are on the ground. If any of you do not think your nations can support the operation, now is the time to speak up." Gugkaeva looks at each of the four diplomats in turn, waiting to see their responses. When they all agree, she smiles, and continues. "Excellent, then we shall proceed. We will divvy up the tasks, and put our combined effort into this. With all five of us working together, I believe we can succeed."
"I will have some documents drawn up for signing tomorrow. Due to the confidential nature of this agreement, I believe it is best if word of this operation does not leak to the press, or outside of trusted government officials. The national security of Europe is at stake here." Bestayev adds, looking each of the other diplomats in the eye. All four agree readily, and discussion gradually shifts towards the cover story of economic cooperation.
The next day, shortly after all five delegates meet for a photo op (not including Minister Bestayev, who is 'officially' not at the meeting), they all meet up once more in a secure room, where Minister Bestayev produces the documents for all to sign. After reviewing the agreement, all parties present sign it.
The next day all present also sign a treaty agreeing to economic cooperation between all 5 nations, focusing primarily on increased trade and the reduction of tariffs between nations. After another photo op, the foreign delegates return home.
Within two weeks of the meeting, evidence of work towards the agreement can be seen, as each country begins work on training operatives and preparing propaganda pieces for the coming operation. All of this is kept strictly confidential, and much of the work goes on in secret government facilities, out of the way of prying eyes.
[That is to say, everything discussed so far in this RP is confidential, and no one else would be aware of it, beyond the trade agreements.]