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<center><img src="Assets/fm-letterhead.png" width="50%"></center><<type 1ms element "span">>
3 January 2024
Dear $firstname
I am pleased to congratulate you once again on your appointment to the Diplomatic Service in the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Scotland.
As discussed at our meeting in December, the Scottish Government have decided that it is desirable and appropriate to establish an embassy in one of the states of Central Asia <<linkreplace "[1]">>(Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan)<</linkreplace>> in order to represent the interests of our nation and citizens in the region. As one of Scotland’s foremost experts in the politics, economics, history and sociology of this region I was pleased to appoint you HM Ambassador to the initial, exploratory mission which will decide which of the five capitals is best placed to host our permanent mission.
As we discussed, I invite you to devise an appropriate framework in which to make this decision and communicate it to me and the Minister for Foreign Affairs before departing for the region. Further, please report regularly to me on your assessment of each country’s suitability, as well as your final recommendation.
I wish you the very best of luck on this important mission. It remains my intention to appoint you as the permanent ambassador to the region once a host country is selected, so I hope that you will begin to build productive relationships in all five countries, and that you will be able to develop these further once the permanent mission is established.
I have arranged for a suitable budget to be allocated, and for you to have access to all necessary resources. If you should require anything more, please do not hesitate to contact my office.
<center>Safe travels,
<img src="Assets/fm-signature.png" width="200">
Prime Minister of Scotland</center>
<div class="navigation"><center>[[Reply|Dear Prime Minister]]</center>
<center>[[Back|Start]] | [[Restart|Start]]</center></div>
<</type>><center><h1>Letters to Scotland</h1></center>
Congratulations on being appointed as newly independent Scotland’s first Ambassador to Central Asia. The Scottish Government has decided to place only one embassy in the region, which will provide diplomatic and consular coverage of all five countries in the region, as well as serving as an important channel for Scotland’s soft power projection.
As one of the country’s foremost experts on Central Asia, the Prime Minister has invited you to lead an initial mission to five countries to assess their suitability to host the embassy. You will visit each capital, meet with leaders and ultimately decide which city you will recommend to the Prime Minister.
<b>About the story</b>
This interactive story was created by Elliot Napier as the final coursework project for a master’s level course in Political Communication at KIMEP University, Almaty Kazakhstan. You can read more about the author on the [[final page|End]], along with acknowledgements. There you will also find a link to the academic paper accompanying the story, which contains citations and more formal explanations of the basis for the text.
Please note that this works best on a computer or tablet. It will work on a phone but it tends to be slow and doesn't look as good.
<b>Let’s get started</b>
Please enter your given name here:
<<textbox "$firstname" "Given name">>
Please enter your family name or surname here:
<<textbox "$surname" "Surname">>
Your name isn't saved or stored after you leave the story - it's just used so your story letters are addressed properly!
The story is based on correspondence between you and the Prime Minister of Scotland. On each page, the text of a letter will appear before you. You might have to scroll down to get to the end of them. Some of the letters are from you (don’t worry - you don’t have to write them yourself) and some are to you.
Some letters have <<linkreplace "text like this in the body of the letter">>text like that in the body of the letter which will give you more information if you click it<</linkreplace>>. If you click this, it will give you more information or provide a translation. There are also links at the bottom of each page for navigation.
Make sure you read carefully, because you will have to make a decision later that will change the ending!
<center><h1>[[Click here to start|Dear Ambassador]]</h1></center>
<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/4.0/80x15.png" /></a><br /><span xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" href="http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/InteractiveResource" property="dct:title" rel="dct:type">Letters to Scotland</span> by <span xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#" property="cc:attributionName">Elliot Napier</span> is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.<center><img src="Assets/ambassador-letterhead.png" width="50%"></center><<type 1ms element "span">>
14 January 2024
Dear Prime Minister, Dear Minister of Foreign Affairs,
I am pleased to inform you that after significant research, my team and I have arrived at a suitable framework to weigh up Scotland’s options for embassy placement in Central Asia. I propose a strategy that will assess each country’s potential and actual impact on relations with Scotland in the soft power arenas of culture and existing links, trade potential, political considerations including human rights, diplomatic links with our ‘priority countries,’ and will also include an element of the potential host countries’ more traditional hard power potential.
I have selected these based upon careful assessment not only of our own foreign policy strategy, but also with regard to relevant academic literature and with reference to the past experience of other countries. My senior adviser, who helped me devise the framework, has written a very brief policy note to explain the thinking behind it and I attach it with this letter. He has also undertaken to write an academic briefing for you which explains the scholarly underpinning of this framework. I will ensure that it is sent to you separately at the end of this exploratory mission, so that you can be fully informed when taking your final decision.
I propose to travel first to Nur-Sultan, capital of Kazakhstan, where my team and I will meet with senior officials and undertake a tour of potential embassy sites in the city as well as attending traditional cultural events. We will then travel to Kyrgyzstan, then Uzbekistan, followed by Tajikistan and then finally to Turkmenistan. In each country we will meet high-level delegations for talks.
It is my intention to send you an assessment of each country’s potential as an embassy site in terms of the framework at the end of each leg of the trip. At the conclusion of the mission, I will send you my final recommendation though, of course, the decision will ultimately be yours.
Thank you once again for your support and for entrusting me and my team with such an important task in establishing our nation's presence in the wider world.
With best wishes,
<img src="Assets/ambassador-signature.png" width="200">
$firstname $surname
HM Ambassador
<div class="navigation"><center>[[Read the "brief" policy note|Assistant Briefing]]</center>
<center>[[Back|Dear Ambassador]] | [[Restart|Start]]</center></div>
<</type>><<type 1ms element "span">>
<b>Microsoft Outlook</b>
<b>From:</b> ‘Senior Advisor Amb. Cen. Asia’
<b>To:</b> ‘Amb. Cen. Asia’
<b>Sent:</b> 12 Jan 2024 10:11am
<b>Subject:</b> RE: Need an informal briefing note to brief the PM pls
Hey $firstname
Sorry boss, but this is a loooooong email. It kinda has to be though, no other way to do it.
Okay, consider this your ‘informal briefing note’ on the framework I’ve made. For goodness sake, DO NOT JUST SEND THIS STRAIGHT TO THE PM. You’ll need to edit it and tidy it up so it looks like you did all the thinking and research. That’s why they pay you the big bucks after all.
I’ve based this on academic research as well as government policy, but also they have asked you to use your expert judgement so there are places where it’s going to come down to a judgement call.
I also know this is potentially gonna be available to the public at some point in future too, so it has to be understandable to the average person and palatable to journalists and political opponents. That’s why there are some places we’ve picked the ‘easy’ or well-known measure over some complex formulae or whatever. I hope that’s okay?
Essentially, we’re going to allocate each country/city a score, based on the five markers we agreed last week. They are: trade potential (marks out of 10), politics (out of 10), culture/existing links (out of 10), diplomatic ties with our ‘priority countries’ (out of 5), and ‘hard power’ (out of 5).
That makes for a total of 40 points and the idea is whichever country scores highest is probably the one you should recommend to the PM, but that’s up to you to make the call in the end. Make sense?
I’ll provide all the citations and academic-speak in the paper I’m writing for you when we get back.
Okay, now I’ll quickly go through the markers so you’ve got a grip of what we’re after when we get over there. It won’t all be beer and shashlik, sadly: we’ve got work to do.
Click each heading below to read how each section works.
<<linkreplace "<b>Trade potential</b>">><b>Trade potential</b>
Okay, this is mainly just numbers, but I think we might struggle to get all the ones we need from Tajikistan and Turkmenistan - I’ve had an initial look at what they send the World Bank (best source, as far as I can see) and they don’t seem to have sent anything for 20 years. I guess if they don’t give us anything concrete, we just use the 20-year-old figures.
Anyway. I’ve taken the most relevant four from Scotland’s top 5 exports - whisky, food, professional services and mining/quarrying product - and we will see how much of that each country bought in the last year stats are available. Top country gets 10 points, second 8, and so on down to 2.
<</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Politics</b>">><b>Politics</b>
Bit more complex here. This one is one the public will need to be able to understand we’re choosing the best of a… difficult bunch, I guess. We need to avoid looking like we’re endorsing regimes with questionable democratic credentials, where human rights aren’t respected and LGBTQ+ people are repressed.
I’ve chosen three well-known indices: the Fragile States Index, the Freedom in the World report, and the Democracy Index. With these, we’ll assign points based on their scores in the index: 5 for best, 1 for worst. I think the PM has made her stance on LGBTQ+ rights very clear, so I have included LGBTQ+ rights as a measure too. There’s no index for this, so we will probably have to base it on a combination of judgement, info from activists and the ILGA’s State-Sponsored Homophobia report.
None of these are perfect, plenty of people criticise them - but combining a few should eliminate some bias, and they are simple and straightforward for the public to understand why we make the decisions we will. Total up the points in this category, and then assign overall points for the framework: top country gets 10, next 8, and so on as before.
<</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Culture</b>">><b>Culture</b>
Eesh. It’s super complex to choose a measure here, because it really is just too hard to say who will be most receptive to Scottish culture. We’ve got music, food, dance, theatre, literature, all of that. I could have spent months surveying people and finding stats on who buys our books and stuff. But there just wasn’t time for that.
I think it’s best we take as our basis, the KOF Globalisation Index. It’s done by academics in Zurich and it takes in a whole range of variables, both legislative acts and social measures, that indicate how globalised a country is. We’ll use the Social Globalisation measure only. It indicates how receptive people are to foreign travel, contacts abroad, freedom to move around and consume foreign media and so on. It even includes access to IKEA hahaha.
Anyway, we’ll also add in your thoughts and some points based on the contacts there and whether you think it’s a good fit for Scotland. Remember, it’s not about judging a country’s social/cultural ethos - it’s about whether Scottish output has a chance to influence people there. We’ll rank and assign points based on GI placement - 5 for the top and so on. Then you will award points out of five per country yourself. Then we rank them, and as always, 10 for the top and so on. It’ll make sense when you see the form.
<</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Priority country ties</b>">><b>Priority country ties</b>
Pretty straightforward here. The Scottish Government has identified the US, Canada, China, India and Pakistan as our priority countries for foreign affairs. Japan is also in a special category of its own too. To this I have added the EU and UK, as well as the Council of Europe, as these are also all key to our foreign policy aims and goals. If there’s an embassy/delegation of these in the country, that’s a point. Half a point for a consulate only. For the Council of Europe, they’re all ‘engaged,’ so to speak so that’s a point, or they can have two points if they are more actively engaged.
Country with the most gets only 5 points this time, as we agreed that this is less of a concern as the other ‘soft power’ receptivity measures.
<</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Hard power</b>">><b>Hard power</b>
I know we talked about this and you’re hesitant about including it. But a lot of the academic literature hammers home that this should be a consideration at least. In any case, the distances involved here mean it’s not likely we’ll be making a strategic military alliance with anyone in the region, so we will give this marks out of five.
There’s no ‘perfect’ measure for this, but I’d suggest we base it on the Composite Index of National Capability, plus your judgement and talks with the leaders. Yes, it’s another index, but it measures things quite well in my opinion - and, again, we can point the public to the index and its measures, which are pretty solid.
<</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Total and decision</b>">><b>Total and decision</b>
At this point, we will count up the points and this will allow us to rank the countries’ suitability. Like I say, it’s not an endorsement or assessment: if someone gets 40 out of 40, that doesn’t mean Scotland says the place is perfect. It’s just our way of framing the decision.
In the end, you use it as a tool to help you decide - it won’t make the decision for you. Which one you recommend to the PM is your choice, and which one the PM chooses is down to them!<</linkreplace>>
Anyway. Any questions, lemme know. I’ll swing by your office after lunch today in any case: I want to have a chat off-the-record about my next pay review.
Cheeeeeeers,
<img src="Assets/assistant-signature.png" width="200">
Senior Advisor to HM Ambassador
Department of Foreign Affairs
Scottish Government
e: adviser.amb.cenasia@dfa.gov.scot
t: +44 (0) 131 496 0387
<img src="Assets/ambassador-letterhead.png" width="200">
<div class="navigation"><center>[[To Nur-Sultan!|Letter from Kazakhstan]]</center>
<center>[[Back|Dear Prime Minister]] | [[Restart|Start]]</center></div>
<</type>>
<center><img src="Assets/ambassador-letterhead.png" width="50%"></center><<type 1ms element "span">>
22 January 2024
Dear Prime Minister
<b>Report from Kazakhstan</b>
Сәлем from sunny Nur-Sultan! I am pleased to report that we were very warmly welcomed in Nur-Sultan and have been well looked after by the government delegation. We were able to spend significant time with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as several hours with the President himself.
The various ministries have been very helpful in providing the information we wanted for our framework, and you will see my initial assessment below. I note that Kazakhstan already imports a great deal of whisky from Scotland, almost 24M USD worth in 2018, and our export statistics indicate around £120M worth of general exports to Kazakhstan in the same year.
The cultural offering has also been truly outstanding. We were invited to meet several Scottish people living, working and studying here and were treated to a performance of the Khara-Zhorgha traditional dance, which was captivating.
<center><img src="Assets/8239492922_e88b621ae9_b.jpeg" width=70%></center>
Nur-Sultan, whilst an oddly unpopular place among local residents, proves a promising prospect for our embassy. We viewed three possible sites with existing infrastructure and buildings, close to other embassies.
<<linkreplace "<b>Trade potential</b>">><b>Trade potential</b>
The government were very open about the figures and these reflect what they submitted to the World Bank in 2018 (the last year figures were available). A very healthy balance on whisky, though obviously not all of it is Scotch. But more of it could be, and that’s the point here. Figures are in 1000 USD. If you can't see the total, scroll to the right.
<pre>
Whisky Food Services Glass/stone Total
Kaz 23,318 1,885,556 11,978,271 746,484 <b>14,633,629</b>
Kyr
Taj
Tur
Uzb
→ Scroll right if needed →
</pre><</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Political considerations</b>">><b>Political considerations</b>
The government gave some good promises around their plans on human rights and LGBT rights, but time will tell if that is reflected in actions. We did not officially meet with any activist groups, but we have been in contact. I am giving a score of 3 for LGBT rights, on the basis that same-sex acts are legal, but several legal protections remain lacking. Both societal and governmental attitudes are still very negative.
<</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Culture and existing links</b>">><b>Culture and existing links</b>
Kazakhstan scores well on the <b>Social Globalisation Index with 68.69</b>, putting them in 95th place in the world. Further, the cultural interactions we had here proved to be highly enjoyable and there was a real desire on both sides to learn about each other’s cultures. I have also learned that there are currently <b>around 200 Kazakh students studying in Scotland</b>, and <b>almost every Scottish university already has at least one partner institution in Kazakhstan</b>. Finally, the Government of Kazakhstan has <b>appointed an honorary consul in Aberdeen</b>.
I have given <b>Kazakhstan 5 points</b> in the ambassador’s culture score.
<</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Priority ties</b>">><b>Priority ties</b>
Kazakhstan has a full embassy of every single country and organisation in this category, and works actively with the Council of Europe. The country satisfies all our requirements in this regard and is likely to top the table in this category.
<</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Hard power</b>">><b>Hard power</b>
The government was a little reticent to discuss some of the military statistics necessary for the Composite Index of National Capability. Nevertheless, an estimated CINC score is possible and will be compared with other countries.
<pre>
CINC Ranking
Kaz 0.003103
Kyr
Taj
Tur
Uzb
→ Scroll right if needed →</pre><</linkreplace>>
I look forward to travelling to Bishkek tomorrow and reporting back to you soon.
Ізгі тілекпен
<img src="Assets/ambassador-signature.png" width="200">
$firstname $surname
HM Ambassador
<div class="navigation"><center>[[On to Bishkek!|Letter from Kyrgyzstan]]</center>
<center>[[Back|Assistant Briefing]] | [[Restart|Start]]</center></div>
Image credit:
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/37583176@N00/8239492922">"Astana, Kazakhstan"</a><span> by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/37583176@N00">Ninara</a></span> is licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=ccsearch&atype=html" style="margin-right: 5px;">CC BY 2.0</a><a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=ccsearch&atype=html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="display: inline-block;white-space: none;margin-top: 2px;margin-left: 3px;height: 22px !important;"><img style="height: inherit;margin-right: 3px;display: inline-block;" src="https://search.creativecommons.org/static/img/cc_icon.svg?image_id=8dee5394-9ed5-4091-bb85-ab86e0ecb724" /><img style="height: inherit;margin-right: 3px;display: inline-block;" src="https://search.creativecommons.org/static/img/cc-by_icon.svg" /></a><</type>><center><img src="Assets/ambassador-letterhead.png" width="50%"></center><<type 1ms element "span">>
28 January 2024
Dear Prime Minister
<b>Report from Kyrgyzstan</b>
Салам from Bishkek! Like in Nur-Sultan, we have been well looked after here and have spent time with ministers and with the President too. The delegation that met us at the airport in traditional dress was quite spectacular.
We have received almost all the information we needed from ministries to assess Kyrgyzstan’s suitability. We have found the officials to be most helpful and very keen to impress us.
We were also treated to a fabulous cultural offering including singing, dancing, and copious quantities of a fermented milk drink called koumiss. I regret to say that I mistakenly assumed that a drink made from horse milk would not be alcoholic and consumed rather too much. However, no unfortunate diplomatic incidents took place, I assure you.
<center><img src="Assets/E7904-Bishkek-Ala-Too-Square.jpeg" width=70%></center>
I am pleased to report that Bishkek has several appropriate properties that are vacant and suitable for the embassy.
<<linkreplace "<b>Trade potential</b>">><b>Trade potential</b>
The government have been happy to provide the following 2018 figures for trade in the sectors that interest us. Figures in 1000USD, as usual.
<pre>
Whisky Food Services Glass/stone Total
Kaz 23,318 1,885,556 11,978,271 746,484 <b>14,633,629</b>
Kyr 2,603 337,495 969,949 92,569 <b>1,402,616</b>
Taj
Tur
Uzb
→ Scroll right if needed →
</pre><</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Political considerations</b>">><b>Political considerations</b>
The government here has had a rocky road but the signs are good and improvements have been made in recent years. We were able to meet with opposition parties and activist groups from across many sectors. I am also giving a <b>score of 3 for the LGBT rights category</b> here, on much the same basis as Kazakhstan. Though the situation is not identical, the balance and concerns are very similar.
<</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Culture and existing links</b>">><b>Culture and existing links</b>
Kyrgyzstan fares similarly to its larger northern neighbour on the <b>Social Globalisation Index with a score of 65.93</b> which places them 107th in the world. For my own assessment, I was delighted to enjoy the cultural exchanges we held, and I am pleased to note that there are already a number of Scots here studying and working, but only around <b>10-20 Kyrgyz students in Scotland</b>, a number we could improve on. Particularly, the <b>community-based tourism</b> programmes here would have a great deal to discuss with Scottish tourist businesses and I am confident there is a good socio-cultural match between our two countries.
I have given <b>Kyrgyzstan 5 points</b> in the ambassador’s culture score.
<</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Priority ties</b>">><b>Priority ties</b>
Kyrgyzstan has a full embassy of every single country and organisation in this category, except Canada (which has a consulate here instead) and works actively with the Council of Europe. The country satisfies almost all our requirements in this regard and will place close to the top in this category.
<</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Hard power</b>">><b>Hard power</b>
As with its neighbour, the government was a little reticent to discuss the military statistics necessary for the Composite Index of National Capability. Nevertheless, an estimated CINC score is possible and will be compared with other countries. It should be noted that this figure is apparently quite low, according to my adviser.
<pre>
CINC Ranking
Kaz 0.003103
Kyr 0.0003326
Taj
Tur
Uzb
→ Scroll right if needed →</pre><</linkreplace>>
Tomorrow we will travel onwards to Tashkent. This evening, a state banquet will be held in our honour in the parliament building. I will steer clear of anything alcoholic this time.
Жакшы тилектер менен
<img src="Assets/ambassador-signature.png" width="200">
$firstname $surname
HM Ambassador
<div class="navigation"><center>[[Let's go to Tashkent!|Letter from Uzbekistan]]</center>
<center>[[Back|Letter from Kazakhstan]] | [[Restart|Start]]</center></div>
Image credit:
<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2888299">"Bishkek Ala-Too Square"</a><span> by <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Vmenkov">Vmenkov</a></span> is licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0?ref=ccsearch&atype=html" style="margin-right: 5px;">CC BY-SA 3.0</a><a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0?ref=ccsearch&atype=html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="display: inline-block;white-space: none;margin-top: 2px;margin-left: 3px;height: 22px !important;"><img style="height: inherit;margin-right: 3px;display: inline-block;" src="https://search.creativecommons.org/static/img/cc_icon.svg?image_id=0fc6b641-3d49-41b6-a2e1-8ba25b5114ce" /><img style="height: inherit;margin-right: 3px;display: inline-block;" src="https://search.creativecommons.org/static/img/cc-by_icon.svg" /><img style="height: inherit;margin-right: 3px;display: inline-block;" src="https://search.creativecommons.org/static/img/cc-sa_icon.svg" /></a><</type>><center><img src="Assets/ambassador-letterhead.png" width="50%"></center><<type 1ms element "span">>
4 February 2024
Dear Prime Minister
<b>Report from Uzbekistan</b>
Salom from Tashkent! Our welcome here has been as warm as elsewhere and our delegation has enjoyed our stay very much. We have been able to consult with the President, including over dinner, and with senior ministers.
Access to information and trade statistics has been similarly open, as in the previous two countries, though sometimes we have had to push a little to obtain up-to-date information.
The officials have ferried us around the country in great luxury, taking us by first-class train to Bukhara and Samarkand to discuss tourism and culture. The food has been fabulous and, I must, say somewhat reminiscent of some traditional Scottish dishes.
<center><img src="Assets/tashkent-photo.jpeg" width=70%></center>
Sadly, I have to report a regrettable incident. I was offered a traditional drink called Kimiz and failed to recognise it as being very similar to the one that almost caused trouble in Bishkek a few days ago. This was not as damaging as it could have been - it encouraged further cultural exchange in the form of singing and dancing, with more of the diplomatic party joining in than usual. There may also have been karaoke, and some of us became overly-friendly with some local entertainers. I can assure you that I will temper my own behaviour in future and remind everyone to remain professional at all times.
<<linkreplace "<b>Trade potential</b>">><b>Trade potential</b>
We were able to obtain the necessary figures as follows, as before they are in 1000USD and are from 2018. I understand that the figure for whisky was a low year, and has been significantly higher before and since.
<pre>
Whisky Food Services Glass/stone Total
Kaz 23,318 1,885,556 11,978,271 746,484 <b>14,633,629</b>
Kyr 2,603 337,495 969,949 92,569 <b>1,402,616</b>
Taj
Tur
Uzb 706 650,458 5,191,101 217,369 <b>6,059,634</b>
→ Scroll right if needed →
</pre><</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Political considerations</b>">><b>Political considerations</b>
The political situation here is not particularly good, though the authoritarian nature of governance does bring considerable stability. The country scores poorly on the indices in our framework. We were not able to meet any opposition figures or rights activists. We did, however, establish contact remotely and have had some discussions. Unfortunately I must give a score of just <b>1 in LGBT rights</b> as same-sex conduct is criminalised, with LGBTQ+ people heavily repressed and persecuted. Societal attitudes are very traditional.
<</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Culture and existing links</b>">><b>Culture and existing links</b>
Uzbekistan <b>scores 51.13 on the Social Globalisation Index</b>, meaning it places 149th in the world. This is lower than Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan by quite a way. Nevertheless, our experience in all three cities and in cultural exchange terms leads me to believe that there are good links to be made between our countries. In particular, our shared interest in attracting tourism to our ancient cultural monuments offers opportunities for cooperation. There is already some educational exchange, but mainly one-way with around <b>25 students in Scotland</b> from Uzbekistan, and a handful of partnerships between institutions.
I have given Uzbekistan <b>5 points</b> in the ambassador’s culture score.
<</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Priority ties</b>">><b>Priority ties</b>
Uzbekistan has a full embassy of every country and organisation in this category, except Canada (which has a consulate here instead) but its work with the Council of Europe is less engaged than others. The country satisfies most of our requirements in this regard and will place in the middle of this category.
<</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Hard power</b>">><b>Hard power</b>
Getting military statistics was a little like getting blood from a stone. We were unable to confirm the estimates in the Composite Index of National Capability with the Government. Nevertheless, an estimated CINC score is possible and will be compared with other countries. My advisers tell me that this score is impressive.
<pre>
CINC Ranking
Kaz 0.003103
Kyr 0.0003326
Taj
Tur
Uzb 0.0026664
→ Scroll right if needed →</pre><</linkreplace>>
We will soon set off for Dushanbe, where I understand the President himself will greet us at the airport. I will, as always, keep you updated and I undertake to make sure the overly-relaxed behaviour we have seen here will not be repeated.
Eng yaxshi tilaklar bilan,
<img src="Assets/ambassador-signature.png" width="200">
$firstname $surname
HM Ambassador
<div class="navigation"><center>[[To Dushanbe!|Reprimand]]</center>
<center>[[Back|Letter from Kyrgyzstan]] | [[Restart|Start]]</center></div>
Image credit:
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/30996501@N07/6368484835">"Tashkent Madrasa Kukeldash"</a><span> by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/30996501@N07">Jose Javier Martin Espartosa</a></span> is licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/?ref=ccsearch&atype=html" style="margin-right: 5px;">CC BY-NC-SA 2.0</a><a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/?ref=ccsearch&atype=html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="display: inline-block;white-space: none;margin-top: 2px;margin-left: 3px;height: 22px !important;"><img style="height: inherit;margin-right: 3px;display: inline-block;" src="https://search.creativecommons.org/static/img/cc_icon.svg?image_id=5a981326-932d-4da8-ae1e-aa0a0e295994" /><img style="height: inherit;margin-right: 3px;display: inline-block;" src="https://search.creativecommons.org/static/img/cc-by_icon.svg" /><img style="height: inherit;margin-right: 3px;display: inline-block;" src="https://search.creativecommons.org/static/img/cc-nc_icon.svg" /><img style="height: inherit;margin-right: 3px;display: inline-block;" src="https://search.creativecommons.org/static/img/cc-sa_icon.svg" /></a><</type>><center><img src="Assets/fm-letterhead.png" width="50%"></center><<type 1ms element "span">>
7 February 2024
$firstname,
Right, let’s drop the fancy language and say what needs said, shall we?
Stop gettin <<linkreplace "intae">>into<</linkreplace>> mischief <<linkreplace "wi">>with<</linkreplace>> the locals! <<linkreplace "Ah’m up tae high doh wi">>I am extremely disconcerted by<</linkreplace>> the complaints <<linkreplace "aboot you gettin intae bother">>about you misbehaving<</linkreplace>>. <<linkreplace "Nae mair booze">>No more alcohol<</linkreplace>>. <<linkreplace "Nae mair ‘oot tae the dancin.’">>No more going to nightclubs.<</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "Ah’ve no got a minute tae masel">>I barely have a minute to spare<</linkreplace>>, and here <<linkreplace "ah am dealin wi aw the greetin cos">>I am being confronted with many complaints<</linkreplace>> you <<linkreplace "cannae haud yer bevvie">>cannot consume alcohol responsibly<</linkreplace>>. Well it’s <<linkreplace "no on">>unacceptable<</linkreplace>>. <<linkreplace "Yer grounded til ye get tae Dushanbe, right?">>You are confined to your hotel until it is time to leave for Dushanbe. Is that understood?<</linkreplace>>
Stay <<linkreplace "in the hoose">>at home<</linkreplace>> or <<linkreplace "ah’ll run an pit ma toe up the crack ae yer you-know-what">>I may physically chastise you like one would a child<</linkreplace>>.
<<linkreplace "Ye’ve been telt">>Consider yourself warned in the strongest terms<</linkreplace>>!
<center><<linkreplace "Frank, GET THE DOOR!">>I have more important things to do.<</linkreplace>>
<img src="Assets/fm-signature.png" width="200">
Prime Minister of Scotland</center>
<div class="navigation"><center>[[I'm very sorry|Letter from Tajikistan]]</center>
<center>[[Back|Letter from Uzbekistan]] | [[Restart|Start]]</center></div>
<</type>><center><img src="Assets/ambassador-letterhead.png" width="50%"></center><<type 1ms element "span">>
10 February 2024
Dear Prime Minister
<b>Report from Tajikistan</b>
Салом from Dushanbe! Firstly, please accept my apologies for any embarrassment my delegation and I caused in our last stop. I can only say that my staff were tired, and got a little too relaxed, but it was nevertheless unacceptable to visit several karaoke bars with local officials. I will ensure that nothing like this happens again.
The red carpet has truly been rolled out for the delegation here, and we feel very welcome. The President himself met us on the tarmac at the airport and has dedicated several hours to discussions with us and important ministers.
Unfortunately we have struggled to obtain accurate trade statistics, as we predicted. Despite this, however, officials have been very keen for us to note that the country’s international trade is “significant” and they are very interested in trading with Scotland.
<center><img src="Assets/Dushanbe-photo.jpeg" width=70%></center>
We have been treated to an impressive cultural exchange programme and I have been particularly impressed by the impact of the Sustainable Development Goals on the tourism industry here. There is a strong effort to promote natural heritage tourism, and I believe there is a good deal that our two countries could learn from each other in this field.
You will be pleased to know that there has been no karaoke and no intoxicating drinks were consumed.
<<linkreplace "<b>Trade potential</b>">><b>Trade potential</b>
Unfortunately, we were not able to obtain up-to-date figures for this assessment, aside from the import figure for services. My advisers have input the last available World Bank figures, from 2000 for all other fields.
<pre>
Whisky Food Services Glass/stone Total
Kaz 23,318 1,885,556 11,978,271 746,484 <b>14,633,629</b>
Kyr 2,603 337,495 969,949 92,569 <b>1,402,616</b>
Taj 0* 13,029* 457,833 4,355* <b>475,217*</b>
Tur
Uzb 706 650,458 5,191,101 217,369 <b>6,059,634</b>
With* are figures from 2000. → Scroll right if needed →
</pre><</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Political considerations</b>">><b>Political considerations</b>
As with our last destination, the political situation here is concerning, with the indices labelling the country authoritarian, unstable and not free. We were unable to meet any civil society figures outside the government. We did, however, manage to speak to a few by telephone to get an idea of their view of the political situation. Unfortunately I must give a score of just <b>2 in LGBT rights</b> because though same-sex conduct is legalised, there are no legal protections and reliable sources suggest heavy government repression.
<</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Culture and existing links</b>">><b>Culture and existing links</b>
Tajikistan <b>scores 45.41 on the Social Globalisation Index</b>, placing it 164th in the world, the lowest score of any of our destinations so far. However, we did feel that the officials and tourist industry representatives we met were very keen on developing links between our countries. We did not get the opportunity to speak to others about the arts and cultural development. As far as we can tell, there are very few or no educational links with Scotland.
I have given Tajikistan <b>3 points</b> in the ambassador’s culture score.
<</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Priority ties</b>">><b>Priority ties</b>
From our framework, Tajikistan lacks any representation from Canada, and falls into the lower bracket of Council of Europe cooperation. This is still highly satisfactory, but is likely to be eclipsed by other better-connected neighbours.
<</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Hard power</b>">><b>Hard power</b>
Though we were privileged to watch an impressive military display, there was no question of obtaining any official figures, which are only shared with allies. We will rely instead on the CINC estimates, which I am advised is a mid-range score for this region.
<pre>
CINC Ranking
Kaz 0.003103
Kyr 0.0003326
Taj 0.0003635
Tur
Uzb 0.0026664
→ Scroll right if needed →</pre><</linkreplace>>
Our visit here will soon come to an end and tomorrow we depart for Ashgabat. The arrangements for this final leg of the journey remain rather mysterious, and we have found it rather hard to make concrete arrangements or agreements with our next hosts. Nevertheless, I look forward to meeting them.
Бо орзуҳои беҳтарин
<img src="Assets/ambassador-signature.png" width="200">
$firstname $surname
HM Ambassador
<div class="navigation"><center>[[Let's fly to Ashgabat!|Letter from Turkmenistan]]</center>
<center>[[Back|Reprimand]] | [[Restart|Start]]</center></div>
Image credit:
<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24965477">"Rudaki Park, Dushanbe, Tajikistan.JPG"</a><span> by <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Rjruiziii&action=edit&redlink=1">Rjruiziii</a></span> is licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0?ref=ccsearch&atype=html" style="margin-right: 5px;">CC BY-SA 3.0</a><a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0?ref=ccsearch&atype=html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="display: inline-block;white-space: none;margin-top: 2px;margin-left: 3px;height: 22px !important;"><img style="height: inherit;margin-right: 3px;display: inline-block;" src="https://search.creativecommons.org/static/img/cc_icon.svg?image_id=e62284df-eb05-4fbc-85d0-092dd30cc94e" /><img style="height: inherit;margin-right: 3px;display: inline-block;" src="https://search.creativecommons.org/static/img/cc-by_icon.svg" /><img style="height: inherit;margin-right: 3px;display: inline-block;" src="https://search.creativecommons.org/static/img/cc-sa_icon.svg" /></a><</type>><center><img src="Assets/ambassador-letterhead.png" width="50%"></center><<type 1ms element "span">>
14 February 2024
Dear Prime Minister
<b>Report from Turkmenistan</b>
Salam from Dushanbe! The welcome we have received from the authorities here has been nothing short of extraordinary. We were met at the airport by marching bands, traditional dancers and a feast of local food. Since then, we have met the President several times and found him to be unexpectedly accommodating.
Unfortunately, our discussions with other officials have been difficult, as we find that no one is willing to express an opinion or give information without the President’s direct approval.
<center><img src="Assets/16070853828_1786c65609_b.jpeg" width=70%></center>
As we feared, trade, military and consumption statistics have not been provided. We have, however, had some very impressive cultural displays of music and dancing. In fact, even the President performed a rap for us that he had written himself for the occasion. Sadly we have not been permitted to meet any regular people, or representatives from the arts, education or tourism sectors. In fact, we have not been able to meet anyone from outside government circles at all.
<<linkreplace "<b>Trade potential</b>">><b>Trade potential</b>
As above, we were not provided any figures for this assessment. My advisers have input the last available World Bank figures, from 2000 for all other fields.
<pre>
Whisky Food Services Glass/stone Total
Kaz 23,318 1,885,556 11,978,271 746,484 <b>14,633,629</b>
Kyr 2,603 337,495 969,949 92,569 <b>1,402,616</b>
Taj 0* 13,029* 457,833 4,355* <b>475,217*</b>
Tur 157* 112,556* 0* 28,762* <b>141,475</b>
Uzb 706 650,458 5,191,101 217,369 <b>6,059,634</b>
With* are figures from 2000. → Scroll right if needed →
</pre><</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Political considerations</b>">><b>Political considerations</b>
This country easily has the most concerning political situation of all five we have visited. It appears lower than its neighbour in most of the indices here - only in terms of stability does the country appear higher than bottom place. It is categorised as not free and authoritarian. This chimes with what we saw on the ground. There was no question of us speaking to civil society activists or oppositionists because, even if we could find them, our very contact could put their liberty at risk. For my part, I have assigned Turkmenistan a score of just <b>2 in LGBT rights</b> because the situation is, frankly, dire.
<</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Culture and existing links</b>">><b>Culture and existing links</b>
Turkmenistan scores the lowest of all our potential host countries on the <b>Social Globalisation Index, with 43.96</b> which is 169th in the world. The officials we met talked a good game about tourism and cultural exchange but the truth is that entering the country is extremely difficult for tourists from Europe, and for citizens to leave is verging on impossible. We have very little information about how receptive the public would be to our message, or about educational or cultural ties.
I have given Turkmenistan <b>2 points</b> in the ambassador’s culture score.
<</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Priority ties</b>">><b>Priority ties</b>
The situation with representation of our priority countries is the same as in Tajikistan. There is no representation from Canada, and the country falls into the lower bracket of Council of Europe cooperation, but aside from this all other markers are present. This is still highly satisfactory, but leaves Turkmenistan alongside Tajikistan in this category.
<</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Hard power</b>">><b>Hard power</b>
Though we were very aware of the presence of security forces at all times, any information on military or industrial capability was outright refused, albeit politely. We will rely instead on the CINC estimates, which I am advised is an upper mid-range score for the region.
<pre>
CINC Ranking
Kaz 0.003103
Kyr 0.0003326
Taj 0.0003635
Tur 0.0007789
Uzb 0.0026664
→ Scroll right if needed →</pre><</linkreplace>>
Whilst wishing to maintain a diplomatic tone, I must say I am keen to leave here. The people we have met have been warm and kind, but they were all government officials and I have gotten no sense at all of what this country is really like for those who live here. I look forward to meeting you and the Cabinet in Edinburgh soon. I will send my final recommendation in due course.
Iň gowy arzuwlar bilen
<img src="Assets/ambassador-signature.png" width="200">
$firstname $surname
HM Ambassador
<div class="navigation"><center>[[Let's head home to Scotland|Welcome Home]]</center>
<center>[[Back|Letter from Tajikistan]] | [[Restart|Start]]</center></div>
Image credit:
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/9508280@N07/16070853828">"20140925 Turkmenistan 0161 Ashgabat"</a><span> by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/9508280@N07">Dan Lundberg</a></span> is licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=ccsearch&atype=html" style="margin-right: 5px;">CC BY-SA 2.0</a><a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=ccsearch&atype=html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="display: inline-block;white-space: none;margin-top: 2px;margin-left: 3px;height: 22px !important;"><img style="height: inherit;margin-right: 3px;display: inline-block;" src="https://search.creativecommons.org/static/img/cc_icon.svg?image_id=97ce94af-83cf-4541-b6f7-04f79de503b3" /><img style="height: inherit;margin-right: 3px;display: inline-block;" src="https://search.creativecommons.org/static/img/cc-by_icon.svg" /><img style="height: inherit;margin-right: 3px;display: inline-block;" src="https://search.creativecommons.org/static/img/cc-sa_icon.svg" /></a><</type>><center><img src="Assets/fm-letterhead.png" width="50%"></center><<type 1ms element "span">>
20 February 2024
Dear $firstname
Welcome back to Scotland, and congratulations on the successful completion of the mission to Central Asia. I have already been contacted by all five presidents to express their gratitude for your visit and to pass on their compliments for the professionalism of you and your team. All five countries are keen to establish strong diplomatic links with Scotland.
I think we can forget the karaoke club incident - it seems not to have impacted on the success of the expedition.
Please provide your final recommendation, based upon your findings. I will discuss it with the Cabinet and make a final decision, before taking the proposal to Her Majesty for approval.
There is no need to explain your reasoning or methodology in the recommendation letter - that can come in the later academic paper.
I look forward to hearing from you.
<center>With very best wishes,
<img src="Assets/fm-signature.png" width="200">
Prime Minister of Scotland</center>
<div class="navigation"><center>[[Let's make a decision|Decision Time]]</center>
<center>[[Back|Letter from Turkmenistan]] | [[Restart|Start]]</center></div>
<</type>>
<center><h1>It's decision time!</h1></center>
Now you have visited all the candidate countries and collected all the information you can about them, it's time to make your decision. Below you will see the scores you have given each country in each category, and then a final table with the total scores.
But remember, the top scorer doesn't have to become host to our embassy - you are an expert and you might know better than the framework. You make the final decision about which country to reccommend to the Prime Minister.
<<linkreplace "<b>Trade potential</b>">><b>Trade potential</b>
Kazakhstan takes first place here, Uzbekistan in second, Kyrgyzstan third, Tajikistan fourth and Turkmenistan fifth.
<pre>
Whisky Food Services Glass/stone Total Pts
Kaz 23,318 1,885,556 11,978,271 746,484 14,633,629 <b>10</b>
Kyr 2,603 337,495 969,949 92,569 1,402,616 <b>6</b>
Taj 0* 13,029* 457,833 4,355* 475,217* <b>4</b>
Tur 157* 112,556* 0* 28,762* 141,475 <b>2</b>
Uzb 706 650,458 5,191,101 217,369 6,059,634 <b>8</b>
With* are figures from 2000. → Scroll right if needed →
</pre><</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Political considerations</b>">><b>Political considerations</b>
Here the order is: 1. Kazakhstan, 2. Kyrgyzstan, 3. Uzbekistan, 4. Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
Frag.S: Fragile States Index; Free: Freedom in the World Index; Democ: Democracy Index.
<pre>
Frag.S Free. LGBT Democ. Total Pts
Kaz 117th (5) 23rd (4) 3 3.14 (4) 16 <b>10</b>
Kyr 73rd (2) 28th (5) 3 4.21 (5) 15 <b>8</b>
Taj 66th (1) 8th (2) 2 1.94 (2) 7 <b>4</b>
Tur 90th (4) 2nd (1) 1 1.72 (1) 7 <b>4</b>
Uzb 74th (3) 11th (3) 1 2.12 (3) 10 <b>6</b>
→ Scroll right if needed →
</pre><</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Culture and existing links</b>">><b>Culture and existing links</b>
Kazakhstan first again here, followed by Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and, in fifth place, Turkmenistan.
<pre>
Social Global. Index Ambassador score Pts
Kaz 69.69 / 95th (5pts) 5pts <b>10</b>
Kyr 65.93 / 107th (4pts) 5pts <b>9</b>
Taj 45.41 / 164th (2pts) 3pts <b>5</b>
Tur 43.96 / 169th (1pt) 2pts <b>3</b>
Uzb 51.13 / 149th (3pts) 5pts <b>8</b>
→ Scroll right if needed →
</pre><</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Priority ties</b>">><b>Priority ties</b>
These are very close, with all countries meeting almost every criteria in this category. This category carries less weight in the overall score. The priority ties are: European Union, USA, Canada, China, India, Pakistan, Japan, UK, Council of Europe.
Kazakhstan places first again, followed by Kyrgyzstan, then Uzbekistan, then in joint fourth are Turkmenistan and Tajikistan.
<pre>
EU US Ca Ch In Pk Jp UK CoE Total Pts
Kaz Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 2 10 <b>5</b>
Kyr Y Y con Y Y Y Y Y 2 9.5 <b>4</b>
Taj Y Y N Y Y Y Y Y 1 8.5 <b>2</b>
Tur Y Y N Y Y Y Y Y 1 8.5 <b>2</b>
Uzb Y Y con Y Y Y Y Y 1 9 <b>3</b>
→ Scroll right if needed →
</pre><</linkreplace>>
<<linkreplace "<b>Hard power</b>">><b>Hard power</b>
This category also is weighted less than the main three soft power categories above. The final order here is: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan.
<pre>
CINC Pts
Kaz 0.003103 5
Kyr 0.0003326 1
Taj 0.0003635 2
Tur 0.0007789 3
Uzb 0.0026664 4
→ Scroll right if needed → </pre><</linkreplace>>
<b>Final framework results</b>
Taking all of this into account, the final results are:
<pre>
Rank Trade Polit Cltr Ties Power Total pts
1. Kaz 10 10 10 5 5 <b>40</b>
2. Uzb 8 6 8 3 4 <b>29</b>
3. Kyr 6 8 9 4 1 <b>28</b>
4. Taj 4 4 5 2 2 <b>17</b>
5. Tur 2 4 3 2 3 <b>14</b>
→ Scroll right if needed →
</pre>
So, $firstname, will you stick with your framework and pick Kazakhstan? Or do your years of experience and expertise lead you another route?
Which country should host our embassy?
* [[Kazakhstan]]
* [[Kyrgyzstan]]
* [[Tajikistan]]
* [[Turkmenistan]]
* [[Uzbekistan]]
<center>[[Back|Welcome Home]] | [[Restart|Start]]</center><<set $ending to "Kazakhstan">><center><img src="Assets/fm-letterhead.png" width="50%"></center><<type 1ms element "span">>
1 March 2024
Dear $firstname
Thank you for your recent letter recommending Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan as the best host city for our new embassy in Central Asia.
The Cabinet and I unanimously support your recommendation. It is well supported by the assessment your framework provides, and we trust in your expert knowledge and experience of the region. We have also paid careful attention to your academic paper in support of the decision. We are fully confident this is the correct decision.
I will be advising Her Majesty at the earliest opportunity.
I thank you for your hard work and dedication in this task, and I wish you the very best in your new role as HM Scottish Ambassador in Nur-Sultan.
<center>Best wishes,
<img src="Assets/fm-signature.png" width="200">
Prime Minister of Scotland</center>
<center> Are you happy, $firstname?
[[Fantastic news!|Nursultan News]]
[[Wait! Let me think again|Decision Time]]</center>
<div class="navigation"><center>[[Back|Decision Time]] | [[Restart|Start]]</center></div>
<</type>>
<<set $ending to "Kyrgyzstan">><center><img src="Assets/fm-letterhead.png" width="50%"></center><<type 1ms element "span">>
1 March 2024
Dear $firstname
Thank you for your recent letter recommending Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan as the best host city for our new embassy in Central Asia.
I must say, the Cabinet and I were a little surprised by your recommendation, as the framework you devised for this task placed Nur-Sultan at the top.
However, after some discussion and careful reading of your supporting academic paper, the Cabinet and I are unanimous in our decision - we trust your expert knowledge and experience of the region and we believe your decision is correct. We will accept your recommendation and the embassy will be placed in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. I will be advising Her Majesty of this at the earliest opportunity.
I thank you for your hard work and dedication in this task, and I wish you the very best in your new role as HM Scottish Ambassador in Bishkek.
<center>Best wishes,
<img src="Assets/fm-signature.png" width="200">
Prime Minister of Scotland</center>
<center> Are you happy, $firstname?
[[Fantastic news!|Bishkek Broadsheet]]
[[Wait! Let me think again|Decision Time]]</center>
<div class="navigation"><center>[[Back|Decision Time]] | [[Restart|Start]]</center></div>
<</type>>
<<set $ending to "Tajikistan">><center><img src="Assets/fm-letterhead.png" width="50%"></center><<type 1ms element "span">>
1 March 2024
Dear $firstname
Thank you for your recent letter recommending Dushanbe, Tajikistan as the best host city for our new embassy in Central Asia.
I must say, the Cabinet and I were baffled by your recommendation, especially given that this city came second-to-last in the framework that you devised yourself for this task.
We cannot possibly accept your recommendation. The Cabinet and I are unanimous in our decision - the embassy should be placed in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. I will be advising Her Majesty of this at the earliest opportunity.
Regrettably, in light of your strange decision-making and poor conduct on the exploratory mission to the region, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and I have no choice but to seriously reconsider your appointment as Ambassador. Senior staff at the Department of Foreign Affairs will be in touch in due course to arrange a meeting about your future in the Diplomatic Service.
I am sorry it has come to this. I wish you all the best in the future.
<center>Best wishes,
<img src="Assets/fm-signature.png" width="200">
Prime Minister of Scotland</center>
<center> Oh damn, $firstname. What do you want to do?
[[I stick to my decision|Dushanbe Dispatch]]
[[I resign|Dushanbe Dispatch]]
[[Wait! Let me think again|Decision Time]]</center>
<div class="navigation"><center>[[Back|Decision Time]] | [[Restart|Start]]</center></div>
<</type>>
<<set $ending to "Turkmenistan">><center><img src="Assets/fm-letterhead.png" width="50%"></center><<type 1ms element "span">>
1 March 2024
Dear $firstname
Thank you for your recent letter recommending Ashgabat, Turkmenistan as the best host city for our new embassy in Central Asia.
I must say, the Cabinet and I were baffled by your recommendation, especially given that this city came last in the framework that you devised yourself for this task.
We cannot possibly accept your recommendation. The Cabinet and I are unanimous in our decision - the embassy should be placed in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. I will be advising Her Majesty of this at the earliest opportunity.
Regrettably, in light of your strange decision-making and poor conduct on the exploratory mission to the region, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and I have no choice but to seriously reconsider your appointment as Ambassador. Senior staff at the Department of Foreign Affairs will be in touch in due course to arrange a meeting about your future in the Diplomatic Service.
I am sorry it has come to this. I wish you all the best in the future.
<center>Best wishes,
<img src="Assets/fm-signature.png" width="200">
Prime Minister of Scotland</center>
<center> Oh damn, $firstname. What do you want to do?
[[I stick to my decision|Ashgabat Argus]]
[[I resign|Ashgabat Argus]]
[[Wait! Let me think again|Decision Time]]</center>
<div class="navigation"><center>[[Back|Decision Time]] | [[Restart|Start]]</center></div>
<</type>>
<<set $ending to "Uzbekistan">><center><img src="Assets/fm-letterhead.png" width="50%"></center><<type 1ms element "span">>
1 March 2024
Dear $firstname
Thank you for your recent letter recommending Tashkent, Uzbekistan as the best host city for our new embassy in Central Asia.
I must say, the Cabinet and I were a little surprised by your recommendation, as the framework you devised for this task placed Nur-Sultan at the top.
However, after some discussion and careful reading of your supporting academic paper, the Cabinet and I are unanimous in our decision - we trust your expert knowledge and experience of the region and we believe your decision is correct. We will accept your recommendation and the embassy will be placed in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. I will be advising Her Majesty of this at the earliest opportunity.
I thank you for your hard work and dedication in this task, and I wish you the very best in your new role as HM Scottish Ambassador in Tashkent.
<center>Best wishes,
<img src="Assets/fm-signature.png" width="200">
Prime Minister of Scotland</center>
<center> Are you happy, $firstname?
[[Fantastic news!|Tashkent Telegraph]]
[[Wait! Let me think again|Decision Time]]</center>
<div class="navigation"><center>[[Back|Decision Time]] | [[Restart|Start]]</center></div>
<</type>>
<center><img src="Assets/nursultan-news.png" width=100%></center>
<<type 1ms element "span">><center><h1>SCOTTISH EMBASSY OPENS IN NUR-SULTAN</h1></center>
<center><img src="Assets/nur-sultan-embassy.png" width=100%></center>
The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan attended the official opening of the capital's new Scottish Embassy today, and welcomed Her Majesty's Ambassador, $firstname $surname, an established Central Asia expert who will represent the world's newest independent country across all five states in the region.
A spokesperson for the President said "the Republic of Kazakhstan already has close ties with the Kingdom of Scotland and we welcome the establishment of this important diplomatic mission."
Sources in the Foreign Ministry told this newspaper that Scotland will only open one embassy in Central Asia and decided that Kazakhstan topped its list of host countries.
The new ambassador told the press "I have always been very fond of Kazakhstan and I look forward to continuing to enjoy your warm hospitality."
<div class="navigation"><center>[[Next|End]]</center>
<center>[[Back|Kazakhstan]] | [[Restart|Start]]</center></div>
Image credits:
<a href="https://pixabay.com/illustrations/drawing-eagle-flying-bird-wings-1606159/ ">"Drawing Eagle Flying Bird Wings 1606159"</a><span> by <a href=" https://pixabay.com/users/posemuse-2382407/">Justin Martin</a></span> is licensed under <a href=" https://pixabay.com/service/license/" style="margin-right: 5px;">Pixabay License</a>
<a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/astana-landscape-city-kazakhstan-4398271/">"Astana Landscape City Kazakhstan Building"</a><span> by <a href=" https://pixabay.com/users/kuanish-sar-4952923/">Kuanish Sarsenov</a></span> is licensed under <a href=" https://pixabay.com/service/license/" style="margin-right: 5px;">Pixabay License</a>
<a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/saltire-scottish-flag-scotland-1070039/">"Saltire Scottish Flag Scotland"</a><span> by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/27707-27707/">27707</a></span> is licensed under <a href=" https://pixabay.com/service/license/" style="margin-right: 5px;">Pixabay License</a>
<</type>><center><h1>The End</h1></center>
Well done, $firstname - you made it to the end! Maybe you even kept your ambassadorial position too. It depends on the decision you made!
Do you want to go back to the start of the story? You can [[Restart|Start]] here.
Do you want to make a different choice and see what changes? You can go back to [[Decision Time]] and try again.
Do you want to save and keep the the ending you've chosen? You can [[Export your Ending]].
<b>About the story</b>
This interactive story was created as the final coursework project for a master’s level course in Political Communication at KIMEP University, Almaty, Kazakhstan.
A PDF version of the academic paper supporting this story (the one we all hope will get a good grade...) can be found <a href="Assets/supporting-paper.pdf">here</a>.
The author is Elliot Napier, who studies on the <a href="https://www.kimep.kz/college-of-social-sciences/en/master-of-international-relations/">MIR programme</a> at KIMEP as part of the Erasmus Mundus <a href="http://ceeres-erasmusmundus.eu/">CEERES</a> International Master programme. You can find out more about Elliot on his <a href="https://www.elliotnapier.com">website</a>.
<b>Acknowledgements</b>
I'd like to reiterate my special thanks to Teo Kai Xiang for outstanding technical assistance in creating this. Also to Tara Matthews who raised the idea of a project focused on a newly-independent Scotland, and to JeongWon Bourdais Park for allowing such freedom in our assessment for this course.
Thanks for reading!
<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/4.0/80x15.png" /></a><br /><span xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" href="http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/InteractiveResource" property="dct:title" rel="dct:type">Letters to Scotland</span> by <span xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#" property="cc:attributionName">Elliot Napier</span> is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.<center><img src="Assets/bishkek-broadsheet.png" width=100%></center>
<<type 1ms element "span">><center><h1>SCOTTISH EMBASSY OPENS IN BISHKEK</h1></center>
<center><img src="Assets/bishkek-embassy.png" width=100%></center>
The President of the Kyrgyz Republic attended the official opening of the capital's new Scottish Embassy today, and welcomed Her Majesty's Ambassador, $firstname $surname, an established Central Asia expert who will represent the world's newest independent country across all five states in the region.
A spokesperson for the President said "the Republic of Kyrgyzstan already has close ties with the Kingdom of Scotland and we welcome the establishment of this important diplomatic mission."
Sources in the Foreign Ministry told this newspaper that Scotland will only open one embassy in Central Asia. It is understood that an initial assessment of the region favoured Nur-Sultan to host the embassy, but Ambassador $surname intervened and thanks to their expert knowledge of Kyrgyzstan, persuaded the Scottish Prime Minister that Bishkek was best.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister of Scotland said “we are delighted that we will be able to offer diplomatic and consular services across all five countries, as well as promoting trade and engaging in cultural and educational exchanges.”
The new ambassador told the press "I have always been very fond of Kyrgyzstan and I look forward to continuing to enjoy your warm hospitality."
<div class="navigation"><center>[[Next|End]]</center>
<center>[[Back|Kyrgyzstan]] | [[Restart|Start]]</center></div>
Image credits:
<a href="https://pixabay.com/illustrations/drawing-eagle-flying-bird-wings-1606159/ ">"Drawing Eagle Flying Bird Wings 1606159"</a><span> by <a href=" https://pixabay.com/users/posemuse-2382407/">Justin Martin</a></span> is licensed under <a href=" https://pixabay.com/service/license/" style="margin-right: 5px;">Pixabay License</a>
<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:University_of_Central_Asia_Bishkek_office.jpg">" University of Central Asia Bishkek office”</a> by Firespeaker is licensed under <a href=https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en>CC BY-SA 3.0</a>
<a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/saltire-scottish-flag-scotland-1070039/">"Saltire Scottish Flag Scotland"</a><span> by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/27707-27707/">27707</a></span> is licensed under <a href=" https://pixabay.com/service/license/" style="margin-right: 5px;">Pixabay License</a>
<</type>><center><img src="Assets/tashkent-telegraph.png" width=100%></center>
<<type 1ms element "span">><center><h1>SCOTTISH EMBASSY OPENS IN TASHKENT</h1></center>
<center><img src="Assets/tashkent-embassy.png" width=100%></center>
The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan attended the official opening of the capital's new Scottish Embassy today, and welcomed Her Majesty's Ambassador, $firstname $surname, an established Central Asia expert who will represent the world's newest independent country across all five states in the region.
A spokesperson for the President said "the Republic of Uzbekistan already has close ties with the Kingdom of Scotland and we welcome the establishment of this important diplomatic mission."
Sources in the Foreign Ministry told this newspaper that Scotland will only open one embassy in Central Asia. It is understood that an initial assessment of the region favoured Nur-Sultan to host the embassy, but Ambassador $surname intervened and thanks to their expert knowledge of Kyrgyzstan, persuaded the Scottish Prime Minister that Tashkent was best.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister of Scotland said “we are delighted that we will be able to offer diplomatic and consular services across all five countries, as well as promoting trade and engaging in cultural and educational exchanges.”
The new ambassador told the press "I have always been very fond of Uzbekistan and I look forward to continuing to enjoy your warm hospitality."
<div class="navigation"><center>[[Next|End]]</center>
<center>[[Back|Uzbekistan]] | [[Restart|Start]]</center></div>
Image credits:
<a href="https://pixabay.com/illustrations/drawing-eagle-flying-bird-wings-1606159/ ">"Drawing Eagle Flying Bird Wings 1606159"</a><span> by <a href=" https://pixabay.com/users/posemuse-2382407/">Justin Martin</a></span> is licensed under <a href=" https://pixabay.com/service/license/" style="margin-right: 5px;">Pixabay License</a>
<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:International_Business_Center._Tashkent_city.jpg">"Tashkent International Business Centre”</a> by Dilshod Akbarov is licensed under <a href=https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en>CC BY-SA 3.0</a>
<a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/saltire-scottish-flag-scotland-1070039/">"Saltire Scottish Flag Scotland"</a><span> by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/27707-27707/">27707</a></span> is licensed under <a href=" https://pixabay.com/service/license/" style="margin-right: 5px;">Pixabay License</a>
<</type>><center><img src="Assets/dushanbe-dispatch.png" width=100%></center>
<<type 1ms element "span">><center><h1>DUSHANBE SNUBBED BY SCOTS - EMBASSY GOES TO NUR-SULTAN</h1></center>
<center><img src="Assets/nur-sultan-embassy.png" width=100%></center>
The Central Asian Embassy of the world's newest country was officially opened today in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. But the flashy event was overshadowed by news that a fact-finding mission earlier this year had recommended the Embassy open in Dushanbe instead.
The earlier fact-finding mission which toured the region in January and February this year was led by former Ambassador $firstname $surname. The trip’s leader advised the Scottish Prime Minister that Dushanbe was best placed to host the diplomats. However, the Scottish Government rejected the regional expert’s advice and chose Nur-Sultan instead.
$surname - who has since resigned from the diplomatic service in protest - told this newspaper “I am speaking out about this injustice because I want the people of Dushanbe to know, I wanted to come here but I was overruled.”
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister of Scotland said “Nur-Sultan was the best-placed capital for our new embassy in every measure we have. We are delighted that we will be able to offer diplomatic and consular services across all five countries, as well as promoting trade and engaging in cultural and educational exchanges.”
Sources in the Foreign Ministry told this newspaper that the Tajikistani government is disappointed, but the decision did not come as a shock.
<div class="navigation"><center>[[Next|End]]</center>
<center>[[Back|Tajikistan]] | [[Restart|Start]]</center></div>
Image credits:
<a href="https://pixabay.com/illustrations/drawing-eagle-flying-bird-wings-1606159/ ">"Drawing Eagle Flying Bird Wings 1606159"</a><span> by <a href=" https://pixabay.com/users/posemuse-2382407/">Justin Martin</a></span> is licensed under <a href=" https://pixabay.com/service/license/" style="margin-right: 5px;">Pixabay License</a>
<a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/astana-landscape-city-kazakhstan-4398271/">"Astana Landscape City Kazakhstan Building"</a><span> by <a href=" https://pixabay.com/users/kuanish-sar-4952923/">Kuanish Sarsenov</a></span> is licensed under <a href=" https://pixabay.com/service/license/" style="margin-right: 5px;">Pixabay License</a>
<a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/saltire-scottish-flag-scotland-1070039/">"Saltire Scottish Flag Scotland"</a><span> by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/27707-27707/">27707</a></span> is licensed under <a href=" https://pixabay.com/service/license/" style="margin-right: 5px;">Pixabay License</a>
<</type>><center><img src="Assets/ashgabat-argus.png" width=100%></center>
<<type 1ms element "span">><center><h1>ASHGABAT SNUBBED BY SCOTS - EMBASSY GOES TO NUR-SULTAN</h1></center>
<center><img src="Assets/nur-sultan-embassy.png" width=100%></center>
The Central Asian Embassy of the world's newest country was officially opened today in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. But the flashy event was overshadowed by news that a fact-finding mission earlier this year had recommended the Embassy open in Ashgabat instead.
The earlier fact-finding mission which toured the region in January and February this year was led by former Ambassador $firstname $surname. The trip’s leader advised the Scottish Prime Minister that Ashgabat was best placed to host the diplomats. However, the Scottish Government rejected the regional expert’s advice and chose Nur-Sultan instead.
$surname - who has since resigned from the diplomatic service in protest - told this newspaper “I am speaking out about this injustice because I want the people of Ashgabat to know, I wanted to come here but I was overruled.”
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister of Scotland said “Nur-Sultan was the best-placed capital for our new embassy in every measure we have. We are delighted that we will be able to offer diplomatic and consular services across all five countries, as well as promoting trade and engaging in cultural and educational exchanges.”
Sources in the Foreign Ministry told this newspaper that the Turkmenistani government is disappointed, but the decision did not come as a shock.
<div class="navigation"><center>[[Next|End]]</center>
<center>[[Back|Turkmenistan]] | [[Restart|Start]]</center></div>
Image credits:
<a href="https://pixabay.com/illustrations/drawing-eagle-flying-bird-wings-1606159/ ">"Drawing Eagle Flying Bird Wings 1606159"</a><span> by <a href=" https://pixabay.com/users/posemuse-2382407/">Justin Martin</a></span> is licensed under <a href=" https://pixabay.com/service/license/" style="margin-right: 5px;">Pixabay License</a>
<a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/astana-landscape-city-kazakhstan-4398271/">"Astana Landscape City Kazakhstan Building"</a><span> by <a href=" https://pixabay.com/users/kuanish-sar-4952923/">Kuanish Sarsenov</a></span> is licensed under <a href=" https://pixabay.com/service/license/" style="margin-right: 5px;">Pixabay License</a>
<a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/saltire-scottish-flag-scotland-1070039/">"Saltire Scottish Flag Scotland"</a><span> by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/27707-27707/">27707</a></span> is licensed under <a href=" https://pixabay.com/service/license/" style="margin-right: 5px;">Pixabay License</a>
<</type>><<if $ending is "Kazakhstan">><center><img src="Assets/fm-letterhead.png" width="400"></center>
1 March 2024
Dear $firstname
Thank you for your recent letter recommending Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan as the best host city for our new embassy in Central Asia.
The Cabinet and I unanimously support your recommendation. It is well supported by the assessment your framework provides, and we trust in your expert knowledge and experience of the region. We have also paid careful attention to your academic paper in support of the decision. We are fully confident this is the correct decision.
I will be advising Her Majesty at the earliest opportunity.
I thank you for your hard work and dedication in this task, and I wish you the very best in your new role as HM Scottish Ambassador in Nur-Sultan.
Best wishes,
<img src="Assets/fm-signature.png" width="200">
Prime Minister of Scotland
----
<center><img src="Assets/nursultan-news.png" width=100%></center>
<center><h1>SCOTTISH EMBASSY OPENS IN NUR-SULTAN</h1></center>
<center><img src="Assets/nur-sultan-embassy.png" width=100%></center>
The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan attended the official opening of the capital's new Scottish Embassy today, and welcomed Her Majesty's Ambassador, $firstname $surname, an established Central Asia expert who will represent the world's newest independent country across all five states in the region.
A spokesperson for the President said "the Republic of Kazakhstan already has close ties with the Kingdom of Scotland and we welcome the establishment of this important diplomatic mission."
Sources in the Foreign Ministry told this newspaper that Scotland will only open one embassy in Central Asia and decided that Kazakhstan topped its list of host countries.
The new ambassador told the press "I have always been very fond of Kazakhstan and I look forward to continuing to enjoy your warm hospitality."<</if>><<if $ending is "Kyrgyzstan">><center><img src="Assets/fm-letterhead.png" width="400"></center>
1 March 2024
Dear $firstname
Thank you for your recent letter recommending Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan as the best host city for our new embassy in Central Asia.
I must say, the Cabinet and I were a little surprised by your recommendation, as the framework you devised for this task placed Nur-Sultan at the top.
However, after some discussion and careful reading of your supporting academic paper, the Cabinet and I are unanimous in our decision - we trust your expert knowledge and experience of the region and we believe your decision is correct. We will accept your recommendation and the embassy will be placed in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. I will be advising Her Majesty of this at the earliest opportunity.
I thank you for your hard work and dedication in this task, and I wish you the very best in your new role as HM Scottish Ambassador in Bishkek.
Best wishes,
<img src="Assets/fm-signature.png" width="200">
Prime Minister of Scotland
----
<center><img src="Assets/bishkek-broadsheet.png" width=100%></center>
<center><h1>SCOTTISH EMBASSY OPENS IN BISHKEK</h1></center>
<center><img src="Assets/bishkek-embassy.png" width=100%></center>
The President of the Kyrgyz Republic attended the official opening of the capital's new Scottish Embassy today, and welcomed Her Majesty's Ambassador, $firstname $surname, an established Central Asia expert who will represent the world's newest independent country across all five states in the region.
A spokesperson for the President said "the Republic of Kyrgyzstan already has close ties with the Kingdom of Scotland and we welcome the establishment of this important diplomatic mission."
Sources in the Foreign Ministry told this newspaper that Scotland will only open one embassy in Central Asia. It is understood that an initial assessment of the region favoured Nur-Sultan to host the embassy, but Ambassador $surname intervened and used expert knowledge of Kyrgyzstan to persuade the Scottish Prime Minister Bishkek was best.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister of Scotland said “we are delighted that we will be able to offer diplomatic and consular services across all five countries, as well as promoting trade and engaging in cultural and educational exchanges.”
The new ambassador told the press "I have always been very fond of Kyrgyzstan and I look forward to continuing to enjoy your warm hospitality."<</if>><<if $ending is "Uzbekistan">><center><img src="Assets/fm-letterhead.png" width="400"></center>
1 March 2024
Dear $firstname
Thank you for your recent letter recommending Tashkent, Uzbekistan as the best host city for our new embassy in Central Asia.
I must say, the Cabinet and I were a little surprised by your recommendation, as the framework you devised for this task placed Nur-Sultan at the top.
However, after some discussion and careful reading of your supporting academic paper, the Cabinet and I are unanimous in our decision - we trust your expert knowledge and experience of the region and we believe your decision is correct. We will accept your recommendation and the embassy will be placed in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. I will be advising Her Majesty of this at the earliest opportunity.
I thank you for your hard work and dedication in this task, and I wish you the very best in your new role as HM Scottish Ambassador in Tashkent.
Best wishes,
<img src="Assets/fm-signature.png" width="200">
Prime Minister of Scotland
----
<center><img src="Assets/tashkent-telegraph.png" width=100%></center>
<center><h1>SCOTTISH EMBASSY OPENS IN TASHKENT</h1></center>
<center><img src="Assets/tashkent-embassy.png" width=100%></center>
The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan attended the official opening of the capital's new Scottish Embassy today, and welcomed Her Majesty's Ambassador, $firstname $surname, an established Central Asia expert who will represent the world's newest independent country across all five states in the region.
A spokesperson for the President said "the Republic of Uzbekistan already has close ties with the Kingdom of Scotland and we welcome the establishment of this important diplomatic mission."
Sources in the Foreign Ministry told this newspaper that Scotland will only open one embassy in Central Asia. It is understood that an initial assessment of the region favoured Nur-Sultan to host the embassy, but Ambassador $surname intervened and used expert knowledge of Uzbekistan to persuade the Scottish Prime Minister Tashkent was best.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister of Scotland said “we are delighted that we will be able to offer diplomatic and consular services across all five countries, as well as promoting trade and engaging in cultural and educational exchanges.”
The new ambassador told the press "I have always been very fond of Uzbekistan and I look forward to continuing to enjoy your warm hospitality."<</if>><<if $ending is "Tajikistan">><center><img src="Assets/fm-letterhead.png" width="400"></center>
1 March 2024
Dear $firstname
Thank you for your recent letter recommending Dushanbe, Tajikistan as the best host city for our new embassy in Central Asia.
I must say, the Cabinet and I were baffled by your recommendation, especially given that this city came second-to-last in the framework that you devised yourself for this task.
We cannot possibly accept your recommendation. The Cabinet and I are unanimous in our decision - the embassy should be placed in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. I will be advising Her Majesty of this at the earliest opportunity.
Regrettably, in light of your strange decision-making and poor conduct on the exploratory mission to the region, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and I have no choice but to seriously reconsider your appointment as Ambassador. Senior staff at the Department of Foreign Affairs will be in touch in due course to arrange a meeting about your future in the Diplomatic Service.
I am sorry it has come to this. I wish you all the best in the future.
Yours sincerely,
<img src="Assets/fm-signature.png" width="200">
Prime Minister of Scotland
----
<center><img src="Assets/dushanbe-dispatch.png" width=100%></center>
<center><h1>DUSHANBE SNUBBED BY SCOTS - EMBASSY GOES TO NUR-SULTAN</h1></center>
<center><img src="Assets/nur-sultan-embassy.png" width=100%></center>
The Central Asian Embassy of the world's newest country was officially opened today in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. But the flashy event was overshadowed by news that a fact-finding mission earlier this year had recommended the Embassy open in Dushanbe instead.
The earlier fact-finding mission which toured the region in January and February this year was led by former Ambassador $firstname $surname. The trip’s leader advised the Scottish Prime Minister that Dushanbe was best placed to host the diplomats. However, the Scottish Government rejected the regional expert’s advice and chose Nur-Sultan instead.
$surname - who has since resigned from the diplomatic service in protest - told this newspaper “I am speaking out about this injustice because I want the people of Dushanbe to know, I wanted to come here but I was overruled.”
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister of Scotland said “Nur-Sultan was the best-placed capital for our new embassy in every measure we have. We are delighted that we will be able to offer diplomatic and consular services across all five countries, as well as promoting trade and engaging in cultural and educational exchanges.”
Sources in the Foreign Ministry told this newspaper that the Tajikistani government is disappointed, but the decision did not come as a shock.<</if>><<if $ending is "Turkmenistan">><center><img src="Assets/fm-letterhead.png" width="400"></center>
1 March 2024
Dear $firstname
Thank you for your recent letter recommending Ashgabat, Turkmenistan as the best host city for our new embassy in Central Asia.
I must say, the Cabinet and I were baffled by your recommendation, especially given that this city came last in the framework that you devised yourself for this task.
We cannot possibly accept your recommendation. The Cabinet and I are unanimous in our decision - the embassy should be placed in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. I will be advising Her Majesty of this at the earliest opportunity.
Regrettably, in light of your strange decision-making and poor conduct on the exploratory mission to the region, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and I have no choice but to seriously reconsider your appointment as Ambassador. Senior staff at the Department of Foreign Affairs will be in touch in due course to arrange a meeting about your future in the Diplomatic Service.
I am sorry it has come to this. I wish you all the best in the future.
Yours sincerely,
<img src="Assets/fm-signature.png" width="200">
Prime Minister of Scotland
----
<center><img src="Assets/ashgabat-argus.png" width=100%></center>
<center><h1>ASHGABAT SNUBBED BY SCOTS - EMBASSY GOES TO NUR-SULTAN</h1></center>
<center><img src="Assets/nur-sultan-embassy.png" width=100%></center>
The Central Asian Embassy of the world's newest country was officially opened today in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. But the flashy event was overshadowed by news that a fact-finding mission earlier this year had recommended the Embassy open in Ashgabat instead.
The earlier fact-finding mission which toured the region in January and February this year was led by former Ambassador $firstname $surname. The trip’s leader advised the Scottish Prime Minister that Ashgabat was best placed to host the diplomats. However, the Scottish Government rejected the regional expert’s advice and chose Nur-Sultan instead.
$surname - who has since resigned from the diplomatic service in protest - told this newspaper “I am speaking out about this injustice because I want the people of Ashgabat to know, I wanted to come here but I was overruled.”
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister of Scotland said “Nur-Sultan was the best-placed capital for our new embassy in every measure we have. We are delighted that we will be able to offer diplomatic and consular services across all five countries, as well as promoting trade and engaging in cultural and educational exchanges.”
Sources in the Foreign Ministry told this newspaper that the Turkmenistani government is disappointed, but the decision did not come as a shock.<</if>>
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