Chapter 1669 Friendship between the Two Countries
What upset Ambassador Tahervich the most was that the economic value created by these two million people was also very high; Split, the capital of Dalmatia, is now full of vitality.
In Split, you can see many new economic development projects, a modern port, newly paved roads, and a variety of bustling factories and shops...
On the east side of the city, you can see a newly built luxury train station. The old station building of Split City Station has been demolished. The old station building mainly served the Knin and Split City railways.
However, after the completion of the North-South Main Railway of the Kingdom of Dalmatia in 1937, the old station building could no longer meet the needs of the new railway, so it was redesigned and rebuilt.
By 1937, Split had become a relatively developed and modern city in the Balkans.
In Yugoslavia, the only cities that could completely dominate Split economically were probably Zagreb and Belgrade.
"Since the independence of the Kingdom of Dalmatia, Split has entered a period of rapid development, and its population has exceeded 100,000, which is considered a large city in the Balkans!" Minister Moderov said with some emotion.
“Our city of Zagreb, as the capital of Yugoslavia, has a population of less than 200,000, and Belgrade has just over 200,000.”
"Split's population growth rate is significantly higher than that of our two most economically developed cities, which also shows that the Dalmatian Kingdom's economic development is faster than ours."
"The concentration of population in Split was itself accompanied by the rapid progress of industry and trade in the Kingdom of Dalmatia."
The most populous city in the Balkans is Bucharest, the capital of Romania, with over 600,000 people, followed by Athens, the capital of Greece, with probably over 500,000.
There are fewer than ten cities in the entire Balkan Peninsula with a population exceeding 100,000.
Ambassador Tahervic also expressed his frustration with the rapid development of Split: "During the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Kingdom of Dalmatia was more developed than Croatia."
"The geographical location of the Kingdom of Dalmatia has rarely been affected by wars, which is an important reason. Secondly, due to its relationship with East Africa, it is a region where East African capital is relatively concentrated."
"If our capital city Zagreb does not make changes, it may very well be overtaken by Split in the future."
"In addition, there is another important reason that we must also recognize: as a country with German culture as the mainstream, Dalmatia does have an advantage over us in the areas of independent development in education, technology and economy."
"Dalmatia was able to better absorb knowledge, technology and industry from East Africa and Germany because of its language advantage."
As a German state, the Kingdom of Dalmatia's language and culture indeed provided numerous advantages for its economic development.
Currently, under the influence of two major world powers, East Africa and Germany, German has become an international language that can rival English.
East Africa and Germany, in particular, possess strong capabilities in the field of science and technology, which directly enables German-speaking people to have better access to cutting-edge technologies and knowledge from around the world.
The leading English-speaking countries are the United States and the United Kingdom. The United States has no major weaknesses, while the United Kingdom has fallen far behind in scientific research and education since the 20th century.
Based on the current scientific research capabilities of various countries, East Africa, Germany, and the United States belong to the first tier, the United Kingdom itself belongs to the second tier, and other major powers, including France, the Soviet Union, Japan, and Italy, belong to the third tier.
The reason why Britain ranks above France is not only due to its own strong financial resources, but also because of the war. During World War I, France was the main target of the war, so France was bound to be less able to invest in science and technology, and many researchers chose to move out of France to avoid the war.
Meanwhile, since the Franco-Prussian War, France's industries have not developed smoothly. The lack of energy and mineral resources has restricted the development of domestic industries, which has also weakened France's scientific research capabilities to some extent.
After all, businesses are an important participant in driving scientific research and innovation, and France lacks some businesses, which naturally reduces this related investment.
In any case, by the 1930s, German-speaking countries had already gained a significant advantage in scientific research and innovation.
Therefore, the Kingdom of Dalmatia was able to better integrate with the world and promote the country's modernization.
Ambassador Moderov said, "Although we and the Soviet Union are both Slavic countries, the languages of East Slavs and Yugoslavs are very different, and the Soviet Union is currently unable to compete with East African countries and Germany in terms of scientific research, education and industrial technology."
Although there are differences between the languages of German-speaking countries, they are ultimately the same language, while the languages of Yugoslavia and Russian are completely different languages.
A significant difference is that the language of the Kingdom of Dalmatia is completely mutually intelligible with East Africa, and can be used for communication even in Germany. In contrast, Yugoslavs would likely not understand anything spoken in the Soviet Union and would need to learn it specifically.
As a nation established with support from East Africa, the Kingdom of Dalmatia used East African Standard German, which was sampled in southern Germany, now central Germany. Therefore, East African Standard German was widely used in most parts of present-day Germany.
Minister Moderov continued, "Even so, we have no choice but to regard German as one of the most important foreign languages."
In Yugoslavia, the most important foreign language was German. Places like Croatia and Bosnia were originally part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, so German had a large audience.
This has resulted in many high-ranking officials in the Yugoslav government speaking fluent German.
Secondly, due to geographical and political reasons, Yugoslavia had an extremely high demand for German-speaking personnel, as German was indispensable in diplomacy, trade, and academic exchanges.
After all, Germany and the Kingdom of Dalmatia were two extremely important neighbors to Yugoslavia. The former was the hegemon of Central and Eastern Europe, and it was difficult for any country in Central and Eastern Europe to get rid of Germany's influence in terms of politics, economy, and even culture.
The latter, the Kingdom of Dalmatia, due to its geographical location, had a sea outlet that played a very important role in the inland regions of Yugoslavia:
For some parts of Bosnia and Serbia, importing and exporting goods from the Kingdom of Dalmatia is the cheapest option.
For diplomats like Moderov and Tahervich, mastering German is an essential skill.
Ambassador Tahervic twitched his mustache and said, "The influence of German is spreading throughout Central and Eastern Europe along with Germany's growing power, and there's nothing we can do about it."
“Look at Hungary and Bohemia, which were once under the rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Now they have to obediently obey the German government and promote the spread of German.”
After Germany annexed Austria-Hungary, the regions that had not seceded were essentially taught a lesson by the German government.
For example, Hungary, which used to frequently challenge Austria within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, has completely lost its former arrogance.
Ambassador Moderov said, "The German government is not as easy to talk to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, especially with Adolf, an extreme nationalist, in power."
"Whether or not one is willing to learn German has become a crucial factor directly linked to the life and livelihood of Hungarians. Hungarians can no longer act unreasonably as they used to, and Adolf has plenty of strength and means to deal with them."
"During the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austrians made up less than 30% of the country, so they had to rely on Hungarians to keep the country running."
"But in present-day Germany, Germans make up more than 70% of the population, and no other ethnic group can challenge the German government."
"Otherwise, Adolf wouldn't mind treating them like the Labour Party and the Jews..."
Ambassador Tahervic also said, "For someone like Adolf, the best condition he could offer was to force Hungarians and Czechs to learn German and assimilate them."
"Fortunately, we Yugoslavia chose to break away from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, otherwise the fate of the Hungarians today would befall us!"
The policies implemented by the Adolf government in Hungary and Bohemia, former Austro-Hungarian territories, undoubtedly made Yugoslavia more wary of Germany.
Therefore, out of national and cultural considerations, the Yugoslav government would also arm itself as much as possible to prevent being invaded and annexed by Germany.
Minister Moderov and Tahervich wanted to continue their conversation, but at that moment the driver reminded them, "Ambassador and Minister, we have arrived at our destination!"
Before we knew it, the car had arrived in front of the Split Palace. After all, Split is not a very big city, and the diplomatic embassy is even closer to the administrative center of Split.
Ambassador Tahervich had no choice but to straighten his clothes and prepare for his meeting with King Charles I.
...
Split Palace.
King Karl I and Prime Minister Julius Erlija had been waiting for Ambassador Tahervich for quite some time.
"Prime Minister Yulitian, what do you think this guy Tahervich is up to this time?" Karl I asked.
He clearly did not have a good impression of Ambassador Tahervic, who had previously been known for his tough stance.
Prime Minister Yulitzan echoed this sentiment, saying, "Your Majesty, I hope these Yugoslavs can speak with us calmly this time!"
"The fact that this Tahervic was appointed as the ambassador to Yugoslavia demonstrates the hostility of the Yugoslav government towards us. Every time we communicate with him, this guy is full of barbs, threats, and intimidation, as if he wants to declare war on us directly!"
"It can only be said that Yugoslavia, from the very beginning of its founding, lacked resolve and had a rather extreme character, just like the Soviet Union ten years ago."
"Perhaps all Slavs are like this. The South Slavs were also Slavs. Serbia was a typical example back then. If Serbia hadn't messed things up, it wouldn't have developed into what it is today, and ultimately Croatia would have benefited."
According to Yulitian, the Slavs are a group that is not naturally good at diplomacy and is simple-minded.
The former Tsarist Russia, the later Soviet Union, and the former Serbia all preferred to solve problems with violence.
King Karl I shared this view, and he particularly disliked Serbia. After all, during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Serbia was a troublesome thorn in the side of the Habsburg family.
Since Yugoslavia now included the former Serbia, Karl I's impression of Serbia was also transferred to the whole of Yugoslavia.
Karl I rubbed his temples and said, "I hope Tahervich isn't here to provoke us this time! The kingdom doesn't want things to get too tense with Yugoslavia right now, or even go to war."
However, it was soon Karl I and Prime Minister Julian's turn to be surprised, about ten minutes later.
At this moment, Ambassador Tahervic and his companion were already seated before King Karl I and Prime Minister Juliusz I, conveying the "goodwill" of the Yugoslav government.
King Karl I and Prime Minister Julius Erlija each read the letter from Yugoslav President Koschutić, and the two exchanged a glance.
Prime Minister Yulitz said, "Ambassador Tahervich, you've finally figured it out!"
"There are no irreconcilable conflicts between our Kingdom of Dalmatia and Yugoslavia, and there is absolutely no need for the two countries to confront each other over some historical issues."
"Peace between our two countries has always been the goal of our Dalmatian Kingdom. If your country truly changes its attitude, we are naturally willing to reciprocate."
Ambassador Tahervic said with a somewhat awkward expression, "Of course, we Yugoslavia are also a peace-loving country."
As a former hardliner, Ambassador Tahervich naturally finds it difficult to adapt to his new role, and his behavior is somewhat unnatural.
However, he added, "Of course, our Yugoslav government hopes to reach a consensus with your country to resolve the historical issues, but we also hope that the Kingdom of Dalmatia can meet a small request of our Yugoslavia."
"That is to reopen the border between the two countries and restore the railway connections between them. The Kingdom of Dalmatia should not deliberately obstruct our trade between the inland regions of Yugoslavia and overseas."
"At the same time, we will also take corresponding measures, such as withdrawing troops from the border between the two countries and leaving only a small number of personnel to jointly combat smuggling and other crimes."
Prime Minister Yulitz nodded and said, "This request is not excessive, and it would be beneficial to both of our countries."
The Kingdom of Dalmatia itself did not want to maintain a strained relationship with Yugoslavia, and at the same time hoped to develop trade with the landlocked countries of Yugoslavia and the Balkan countries, including Yugoslavia.
Now that Yugoslavia is willing to make concessions, Prime Minister Juliusz has no reason to refuse.
King Karl I also said: "For Yugoslavia, our Dalmatian Kingdom was just a small country and posed no threat to Yugoslavia, so there was no need for the two countries to maintain high military expenditures."
"The economies of the Kingdom of Dalmatia and Yugoslavia are highly complementary. Only by strengthening cooperation between the two countries can they make progress together. After all, there are many other countries in the Balkans, and the competition is fierce."
Ambassador Tahervich could only nod in agreement with what King Karl I and Prime Minister Juliusz I said, and then he proposed that the results of the talks be signed directly in the form of a treaty.
The Kingdom of Dalmatia naturally did not refuse, and thus the Treaty of Friendship and Mutual Assistance between the Kingdom of Dalmatia and the Republic of Yugoslavia was formally concluded.
(End of this chapter)
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