Ashelor has today parted from Adina after dispute over land use. (Pexels)

After a fleeting two month union, Ashelor has regained its independence under a withdrawal agreement signed today.

The move comes amid a spat over the control and ownership of the territory of Ashelor, which was ceded to Adina in the original integration treaty.

Ashelor is a nation with a small population in the southeast quadrant, situated north of Adina City. It has a relatively short history, with its most notable events centred around its relationship with Adina.

But the fledgling relationship began to sour following the Adinan government making moves to commence construction on the land it received under the treaty.

Confusion over ownership

The breakdown of the relationship appears largely due to a misunderstanding over the ownership of the Ashelor territory.

“In Adina, land is regarded as being all under the general jurisdiction of the national government and states just merely control it day-to-day,” matanic1107, the President of Adina, said.

But this was at odds with Ashelor’s understanding of land ownership.

“Throughout the negotiations to join, it was made pretty clear that Ashelor would remain its own distinct entity, and indeed the treaty we agreed to stated that Ashelor would retain its borders,” Orinnari, King of Ashelor, said.

Original negotiations paint a different picture

But in revealing government documents obtained by the Gazette that detail the original negotiations, a different story emerges.

Orinnari: “The Kingdom of Ashelor is over, so we have an offer for you. Would you like to receive Ashelor’s claims?”

ImperatorMendes, then President of Adina: “OK so we’re clear, what exactly is being discussed? Is it the transfer of claims, groups, a direct merger? I’m not quite sure on the specific direction you’re angling on.”

Orinnari: “Legally speaking, the Kingdom of Ashelor will likely request to become a state within Adina. […] I’m thinking statehood in lieu of being an autonomous territory because then you guys have a greater ability to take control if you want to do something with the land.” (emphasis added)

ImperatorMendes: “Statehood sounds great tbh, both of you will be at least nominal citizens. I would like for one of two to remain in some entrenched position in the state — at least in name so you can resume it in the future if you want. […] We’ve got a large unorganised Northern Territory with a good claim to statehood independent of Ashelor. Would you prefer to incorporate it all together or keep Ashelor as a distinct state entity?”

Orinnari: “I think it better to keep Ashelor distinct.”

Ultimately, the two nations have been unable to agree on the meaning of the negotiation.

Purchase negotiations failed

Following the disagreement, the two nations entered into a secondary negotiation for Adina to purchase some of the land already ceded to it by Ashelor.

“Because Ashelor’s borders were already small, we were a little hesitant to just permanently hand over a pretty large section of our land, making ourselves even smaller,” Orinnari said.

“So we suggested them purchasing the land, but right away they didn’t seem happy with that.”

But these negotiations were not met positively by Adina.

Displeased by Ashelor’s unwillingness to contribute land to national Adinan infrastructure, Adina told Ashelor “to act like a state and part of Adina rather than an independent nation”.

This resulted in Ashelor terminating the union.

Situation ‘disappointing’

“The whole affair was really disappointing,” alzdadog (Aleh), a Lord of Ashelor, said.

“We were trying to negotiate an arrangement that would be fair for both of us.”

“It seemed likely that if we didn’t leave they would just find a way to legally seize a big chunk of Ashelor and there would be nothing anyone in Ashelor could do to stop them.”

This disappointment also follows both alzdadog and Orinnari being defeated in the national assembly and judicial elections of Adina respectively.

But not all hope is lost.

“We believe [returning to two separate nations] will be the best solution for both parties and allow us to continue with our friendly relations we enjoyed prior to the merger,” matanic1107 said.

The deterioration of the relationship “is sad seeing as we used to be really close allies”.

Legislative changes set to come

The Gazette understands that Adinan law is set to change following Ashelor’s independence.

The national assembly is set to debate legislation to clarify and codify the rights of states of Adina and their relationship with the nation.