Diplomatic Relations Policy

[Sabastos]

Snolovania, Fifth Minister of Foreign Relations of the Continental Union
November, 2012
Continental Union Diplomatic Relations Policy Overview

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This posting topic is an overview of the policies for establishing and maintaining diplomatic relations with the Continental Union. Until the Continental Trust Board of Directors creates a separate policy, the Continental Union policies are also in effect in the Continental Alliance. The reply posts following this overview contain the official texts of Regional Statutes that govern Diplomatic Relations. Regions or organizations interested in sharing The Unified Regional Forum will find information in the last reply to this topic...just keep scrolling down.

There are four ways a region or organization can maintain diplomatic relations:

[/b]—This is the most basic type of diplomatic relations where the interested party sets up a mission in the form of an information kiosk. They can use this as a link (“vinculum”) between us and them. No other embassies (NationStates or otherwise) are established;

• Ad Amicum—The only action required for this is the mutual establishment of embassies on the NationStates platform. No embassy is established on either party’s offsite forum. This is an NS acknowledgement of friendship (“amicum”) between our Region and theirs;

• Ad Socium—This kind of relationship involves the mutual exchange of NationStates embassies and the exchange of ambassadors on each other’s offiste forums. They become an associate (“socium”) and close ally of our Region. An embassy board is established on each offsite forum to facilitate the ambassador exchange.;

• Ad Plenum—Full (“plenum”) diplomatic relations are established between our Region and the interested party. This level includes all items included in the ad socium relationship with the addition of ambassador puppet exchanges in each other’s regions. This relationship also allows ambassadors special participation rights in Regional activities.[/ul]
There is a reasonable expectation that our allies maintain their embassy boards by posting current events and other information every now and again in the embassy board assigned to them. After a long period of inactivity, the embassy board may be closed and the Region may cancel its NS embassy as well.

We appreciate the interest each of our allies has in creating and maintaining their boards. Please review the Diplomatic Immunity topic for more information on your diplomatic rights and privileges. For additional questions, please contact the Ministry of Foreign Relations.

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[Admin Imperator]

Founder's Letters Patent
I ImpRex 27

Criteria and Requirements for the Establishment of
Diplomatic Relations with the Continental Domains.

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Index: I ImpRex 27
Date Issued: 5 August 2011.
Former Index: FLP 25
Revision Status: None.

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1. Pursuant to Regional Order-in-Council Number Thirty-Four (ROIC 34), the Regional Founder is empowered to establish and maintain requirements and criteria for establishing contact with roleplay communities and diplomatic relations between the Regions of the Continental Domains and other regions of NationStates.

2. Establishing and maintaining diplomatic relations will be divided into four categories:

[/i] are those relations that are established for the purpose of exchanging information and maintaining basic communication between the Continental Domains and the other region or community;

b. Diplomatic Relations ad amicum are those relations that are established for the sole purpose of recognizing that a friendly relation exists between the Continental Domains and the other region or community;

c. Diplomatic Relations ad socium are those relations that involve a minor exchange of embassies limited to NationStates embassies and forum profile exchanges.

d. Diplomatic Relations ad plenum are a combination of ad amicum and ad socium relations that involve a complete diplomatic exchange of NationStates embassies, forum profile ambassadors, and Diplomatic puppet states.
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3. Diplomatic Relations ad vinculum requires the approval of the Minister of Foreign relations and will involve the construction of a public information kiosk in Embassy Row with access to basic boards on the forum to be determined by the Quæstor General's Office. This is the most basic of diplomatic relations.

4. Diplomatic Relations ad amicum does not require the construction of an embassy board and refers only to the establishment of NationStates embassies on the NationStates site. Protocols for this kind of diplomatic relations are outlined in ROIC 34.

5. Diplomatic Relations ad socium indicates the establishment of NationStates embassies and the exchange of ambassadors on each region's offsite forums.

6. Diplomatic Relations ad plenum refers to full diplomatic relations that include a complete ambassador exchange in both NationStates and on each region's offsite forum.

7. This Letters Patent does not govern the establishment of diplomatic boards for the nations, social trusts, or business entities of the Continental Domains or those connected with communities of the Unified Regional Forum.

8. The Regional Founder may alter the requirements, protocols, and procedures for diplomatic relations for special circumstances that represent the best interests of the Region.

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[Admin Imperator]

Regional Order-in-Council Number Thirty-Four
Process and Policy for the Establishment of Regional Embassies,
A Legislative Order of the Founder's Council of the Continental Union.

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Index: ROIC 34
Proposed by: Basileus Romanus, 19 May 2011.
Approved: In Council, 31 May 2011, 10 to 5.
Assent Granted: 1 June 2011.
Revision Status: None.

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1) This Regional Order-in-Council will outline the processes for establishing diplomatic relations with other regions in NationStates.

2) Before any diplomatic relations are established or any request for a NationStates embassy is sent to a foreign region, those authorized by the Founder's Council to monitor such activities must telegram the regional authority in the foreign region to submit a formal request for the opening of an embassy.

3) A reply from the foreign region must indicate that an embassy request will be approved before the Founder or Delegate can officially send a request through the NS admin feature.

4) The Regional Founder is authorized to accept and approve embassy requests initiated by foreign regions in accordance with Constitutional Law and any other processes approved by the Founder' Council if applicable.

5) The Regional Founder may authorize the opening of an embassy board in the Regional Forum only to those regions that have a NationStates embassy with the Continental Union.

6) The Founder's Council is authorized to monitor the processes and maintenance of Regional Forum embassies and may delegate the enforcement of such monitoring to the Ministry of Foreign Relations.

7) The Regional Founder is obligated to close embassies both in NationStates and on the Regional Forum if such entities prove to be a danger to the Region or the ambassadors are engaged in any kind of covert operation to recruit or endanger the Region in any way.

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[Admin Imperator]

Regional Order-in-Council Number Thirty-Eight
The Criteria for the Establishment and Maintenance of
Diplomatic Chanceries in Embassy Row,
An Executive Order of the Founder's Council of the Continental Union.

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Index: ROIC 38
Proposed by: Sabastos, 8 November 2011.
Approved: In Council (7 to 0), 15 November 2011.
Assent: 16 November 2011.
Revision Status: None.

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1. This Regional Order-in-Council is created for the purpose of establishing diplomatic chanceries in Embassy Row to allow the posting of information and events for NationStates Regions, Affiliates, Guilds, Corporations, and members of the Continental Union and the Continental Alliance.

2. This Order will also serve as a recommended guideline for establishing diplomatic chanceries and kiosks granted other non-NationStates communities sharing the Unified Regional Forum until the Unified Executive Council can establish, approve, and publish its own Embassy Board guidelines.

3. In Embassy Row the following diplomatic chanceries will exist, types for which will reflect the relationship that exists between the Continental Domains and those participating in Embassy Row:

b. Embassies will be established for foreign NationStates regions that have already established an NS embassy with the region and meet requirements set forth by ROIC 34 and FLP 25.

c. Consulates will be established for nations in NationStates regions that share the Unified Regional Board.

d. Diplomatic Missions will be established for nations in foreign NationStates regions and for national subdivisions of nations in NationStates regions sharing the Unified Regional Forum.

e. Public Kiosks will be established for groups, trusts, businesses, and other entities that do not fall into any of the categories as outlined above.

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7. The Minister of Internal Relations will create and monitor criteria for establishing Consulates, Missions, and Public Kiosks by members of the Continental Union and the Continental Alliance and regulate them in accordance with Regional Statutes.

8. The Minister of Foreign Relations will create and monitor criteria for establishing diplomatic chanceries by foreign NationStates regions and nations not part of the Continental Union or the Continental Alliance and regulate them in accordance with Regional Statutes.

9. Until the Unified Executive Council has established resolutions governing the establishment of diplomatic chanceries for communities sharing the Unified Regional Forum, the Regional Founder regulate the creation of boards for those communities.

10. The Quaestor General's Office will be responsible for setting up the appropriate diplomatic boards once they have received approval to establish these boards by the appropriate minister or authority.

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[z-Quæstor General Agent]

Cardecion, Fourth Quæstor General of the Continental Union
November, 2012
Unified Regional Forum Board Sharing Overview

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The Unified Regional Forum is a multi-community board that is currently shared by three communities, two of which are NationStates regions. This forum was originally set up for use by members of the Continental Union. Several months after the Continental Alliance was founded, the members of that region requested boards for their own use and asked to participate in some Continental Union RPGs. Soon after another community requested shared use of the forum with hidden boards for their own use.

All NationStates regions started off as small regions with just a handful of members. Smaller regions sometimes don't have enough resources to create and/or maintain an offsite forum. Activity levels and participation can be very challenging for regions both big and small. We have found that the more members and more posting a forum has, more and more members become interested in participating in activities. The more participation and you have, the more motivated and encouraged your members become on building and improving your region or community.

Any organization or NationStates region that shares this forum will have access to Continental Union General Discussion and General Roleplay boards. This is an added selling point to members of your community. This is an added benefit to members of newer regions to get ideas on how to build their own forum later on if they want. Smaller regions who share the forum also don't have to worry about moderating their boards or keeping up with admin and maintenance functions.

Each region or community is given up to four category boards for their posting needs. The leader of the community or region is granted global moderator and admin staff privileges to help monitor activities on their boards. They are also given a seat on the Unified Executive Council, which is made up of URF community leaders.

Over the next several months, we will be posting more information about this program. In the meanwhile, you can PM Cardecion or post an information request in the URF Help Desk.

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[z-Quæstor General Agent]

continentalunion.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=pmsend&to=cardecion