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Protesters Greet Midand Minister

The official welcoming ceremony of Ms. Cherry Menwen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Midand today was marred by clashes between
demonstrators and riot police and amid dueling protests over Volaworand's refugee policy.

Thousands of people, some waving Midand flags, chanted slogans in solidarity with migrants but were blocked by police from approaching government officials. Counter protesters burned both Volaworand and Midand flags and chanted "Midand funds Terrorists". 43 arrests were made.

Volaworand's Minister of External Affairs, Kamla Patelwill, acknowledged that mistakes had been made with regard to the refugee crisis.

“Mistakes have been made and there were infrastructure shortages,” she said while also seeking to attribute the rallies which drew some 2,500 protesters to “those that aim to create a climate of terror.”

After a luncheon with the Midand delegation, Patelwill took a swipe at the protesters for not registering for scheduled events to voice their concerns. “If they would come forward we would listen carefully but would ask them to make proposals,” she said, adding "those who will not come to the events have no solutions to offer and are only interested in rabble rousing for its own sake.”

“They chose the road of tension in an environment already burdened by years of an international refugee crisis,” she said. "This visit of Midand's diplomatic team, and the Humans Are People NGO is to ease tension and reassure our Midand friends and allies that we can move forward, reconcile the hurts of the past and boosting economic prospects and quality of life of both our nations."

In 2017 strikes and protests brought large cities in Volaworand to a grinding halt after the government decision to accept a half million Midand refugee's and grant them temporary protected status. When Midand declared war on Volaworand, the government invoked the War Measures Act and stripped the refugees of most legal protections and interned nearly 350,000 in camps around the country where they lived in overcrowded and squalid conditions. International NGO's allege that thousands died in the eastern camps in Marambio and Esperanza.

The Government has refuted these claims, and points to the fact that sive of the six camps were closed earlier this year. The government maintains that the only remaining Midand residents of Esperanza operate their a "model neighbourhood" with full services and local governance. The rest of the refugees have settled throughout Volaworand, returned to Midand, or moved to other South Pacific nations like North prarie and Tilipria.

Earlier in the week, speaking in Parliament during Question Period, Patelwill sought to send a message of Volaworand's determination to proceed with the visit amid a spike in bilateral tensions.

“Our primary duty is security and protecting our borders and territorial integrity,” she said. “Particularly today in a period of destabilization when people resort to acts of provocation without realizing that they do not lead anywhere, only deadlock. Volaworand will continue to be a stabilizing force for peace in the region. This requires we continue dialogue within society and between nations."

The Midand visit continues with a whirlwind of events until Saturday, September 29.

- Volaworand Newswire