As he was getting drunk, Putin poured out several requests to Youngho.
“Your Highness, I will actively help you become an observer country of the Arctic Council. Instead, I want you to support Russia in the development of the Arctic Circle.”
Kazakhstan already had icebreakers and bridgeheads in Greenland, so it had all the necessary and sufficient conditions to qualify as an observer to the Arctic Council.
But if Russia opposed it, it would become unclear to qualify as an observer.
“If we’d be free to navigate, there won’t be anything else I’d want. But I wonder what kind of support you want.”
Putin began to roast from then on.
“I’m telling it only to you, but there’s something really funny going on. Well, they’re putting a ridiculous requirement to make it an exclusive economic zone to an area where the continental shelf is extended regardless of the distance.”
Russia was the country exposed to the Arctic Ocean the most, and in such a case, it would have to yield a lot of ground, which Russia disapproved of.
“It’s not an issue I can promise prematurely, but I’ll be very active in finding a compromise.”
Under international maritime law, up to 12 nautical miles (22.2 kilometers) from land territory was the territorial waters of the country concerned. Up to 200 nautical miles was classified as an exclusive economic zone that could be claimed exclusive rights to resources.
However, the Arctic Ocean was also connected to the continental shelf in areas more than 200 nautical miles away from the five coastal countries (Russia, Canada, the United States, Norway, and Denmark).
These countries were claiming sovereignty under the exception of international law, which stated that if a land was connected to a continental shelf, it could secure power more than 200 nautical miles.
The cause had been attributed to Russia’s blocking of the Arctic Ocean. This was because Russia had become too greedy.
Putin was asking Youngho to give Russia a boost in exchange for him helping Kazakhstan become an observer state.
“The development of the Arctic Ocean is difficult by Russia’s power alone. I hope that we can work together to develop the Arctic Ocean.”
“I appreciate what you mean. But if you push it unilaterally when the interests of many countries are at stake, we won’t find agreement so easily. Can’t we compromise on a reasonable level? If you’re willing to do that, I’ll stand on Russia’s side and try to arbitrate for more concessions.”
It was time for someone to mediate, and the opportunity for the Kazakh royal family to step forward finally came.
If the Baltic-White Canal was put out as bait and if the royal family proposed to limit the continental shelf section to 200 nautical miles, it seemed a compromise could be reached.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Arctic had 13 percent of the world’s oil reserves and 47 trillion cubic meters of gas, which was estimated to be a third of natural gas reserves of the world.
Areas bordering Russia, Canada, and Greenland were rich in nickel, iron ore, aluminum, copper, uranium, and diamonds.
In addition, the Arctic route was about 7,000 kilometers shorter than the current Far East-Siberian coast-Europe route, which dramatically reduced transportation costs and time.
“So far, Russia has managed the Arctic Ocean. Now, we cannot tolerate them wanting to start an exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf. If they continue to insist on accepting it at all costs, Russia will not refuse to exercise its capabilities for the rights of the Arctic Ocean.”
Putin’s comments meant he was willing to accept some of the Western countries’ demands.
The rest of the member countries, which insisted that the continental shelf was an exclusive economic zone to the point where it was connected, were referring to exceptions stipulated in international law to prevent Russia from monopolizing the region.
“Mr. President. Opening the Baltic-Back shipping line can reduce transportation distances by 4,000 kilometers.”
“What does it have to do with developing the Arctic Circle?”
“I’m saying you could send a love call to the West. You’ll provide a shorter route and in exchange, you can ask them to make concessions. It’ll probably work. On the other hand, it’s an opportunity to raise the toll without spending any money on the Baltic-White Sea Canal.”
There were so many countries that would use the Baltic-White Sea Canal.
This was because if the Arctic route was added, it would reduce transportation distance by 11,000 kilometers.
Putin was momentarily preoccupied with the tempting proposal.
He knew well that it would be difficult to deal with a majority no matter how hard he tried.
It would be a good business if the Baltic-White Sea Canal could be opened, and he could take benefits from it. And there was a person sitting in front of him, who could do the job instead of him.
“It’s a good offer, but can you persuade those greedy countries?”
‘If you lose your greed, everything will all work out.’
These words were hovering in Youngho’s mouth.
“I’ll come forward and mediate. We have to contact European countries soon to select companies to participate in the Trans-Siberian Railway anyway.”
“That’s great. We’ll have the Arctic Ocean Council in a month, and I’ll be looking forward to seeing some tangible results by then.”
“Mr. President, I’m glad you and I seem to agree on a lot today. Wouldn’t you like to hang out for a while, since the banquet hasn’t ended yet?”
“Good. I have a hunch that we’ll have some vodka tonight.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve gotten drunk, but tonight, I’ll let myself go.”
Youngho was also a little excited because the Arctic Council’s observer status was just around the corner.
“I’m going to announce the Trans-Siberian Railway development plan tomorrow. Is that okay?”
“A verbal promise is also a promise. If no other country will intervene, the Kazakh royal family will also be in charge of the construction.”
“Hahaha… You just don’t know when to stop, and I like it!”
***
When the Russian government announced that the Kazakh royal family would invest in the project to modernize the Trans-Siberian Railway, the Russian people reacted with great excitement. This was inevitable because there have been no national projects that people could feel with their skin.
While projects such as the canal project and the development of Siberia were projects that did not reach much of everyday life, the Trans-Siberian train had been a means of transportation for all Russians. They were more enthusiastic about turning old trains into modern ones than the fact that it would save their traveling time.
As anyone who had ever taken the Trans-Siberian Train knew, people were fed up with the inferiority of toilets and washbasins. No matter how short a traveling section was, it usually took two days and one night, and people could not avoid using the bathrooms and the washbasins, but the mere thought of using them made people sick.
Some of the foreign tourists using the Trans-Siberian Train were even rumored to have bladder inflammation because they refused to use the bathroom.
On top of that, there was nothing people could do about the terrible unfriendliness of train crews and the tedious journey of seven nights and eight days.
However, news that foreign companies were participating in train operation as well as modernizing the train had been reported, it was received with a great welcome.
Min-seok, who had experienced the Trans-Siberian Train for half a day, was explaining the hygiene of the train while conveying the response of the Russians.
“In-hwa also refused to go to the bathroom.”
“I hear it’s gotten better lately, but I guess that’s not true either. It was worse when I rode it a few years ago.”
“Have you ever taken the Trans-Siberian Train?”
“We had to take the train to Vladivostok because of frequent hijackings. I rented a special room, but I couldn’t help with the bathroom.”
The memory of the Trans-Siberian train remained at its worst, as he even met train robbers at the time.
“We were in a special room as well, but we couldn’t get used to it. The surrounding scenery was also tasteless.”
Everyone who rode the Trans-Siberian Train expected it to be great, but after three or four hours of excitement, it got boring and the same as all they could see was empty fields after fields.
Anyone who had experienced it would recommend an airplane over a trans-Siberian train.
All they did for eight days and seven nights were only eating and sleeping. The only thing to do was to see the occasional city of Siberia from a distance and drink vodka secretly from the crew.
“Would it be tolerable if only the train is clean?”
“I think we should add other services, too. It’s like torture if you’re just eating and sleeping for seven nights and eight days.”
“Come up with some good ideas.”
“Just changing the train won’t do any good. If the service doesn’t improve, it’ll become messy no matter how many new cars you put in. We need to change the train crew or retrain them.”
“I’ll have to meet Russian railroad officials before I go back home. Make an appointment.”
“It’s still before the formal contract, but would it be alright?”
“If you’ve exchanged the memorandum of understanding, it’s like you have a contract. Besides, it’s already announced by the press. If you contact the presidential secretariat, they’ll set up an appointment right away.”
“Where shall we go for the appointment?”
“Let them come to the Arirang Hotel.”
“All right.”
***
“Your Highness, it’s an honor to meet you in person. My name is Oleg Belozerov. I’m in charge of the National Railroad.”
“I’m sorry to have made you come here.”
“Don’t mention it. I was going to visit you anyway. His Excellency has asked us to help you finish the Trans-Siberian Railway project over the next ten days.”
“I wanted to meet you not only because I wanted to know the demand for new cars that need to be replaced immediately. We need to replace the aging trains first, so the public will feel that something is changing. And I wanted to talk to you about the site for the train assembly plant.”
“If you could do that, I wouldn’t wish for anything else. I’ve always been ashamed of not being able to provide a great service.”
“The aging of passenger cars is a problem, but the train crew’s attitude is not very desirable. Is there a countermeasure?”
“It’s a shame but if the payments could be actualized, it would be resolved immediately. If a foreign company participates in the management, the salaries will have to be fixed immediately. That’s the only way to get our employees motivated. We’ve had a lot of service training, but it hasn’t really worked.”
“I understand. Kazakhstan used to be like that until a few years ago. I’ll make that a top priority. I believe that just by improving the staff’s treatment, the service will be better.”
“And how about Vladivostok for the car assembly plant?”
“That’s a great site. Is the previous factory site still empty?”
“It’s still there, same as before.”
A few years ago, the area where H Rotem was going to build a train car factory was near the warehouse area of the Kazakh royal family.
In Vladivostok, the security-free Kazakh royal storage area was the most suitable place for a new factory because there were so many robbers.
For H Corporation, it was easier to transport parts from Korea as the port of Vladivostok was nearby.
“That’s great. Let’s confirm Vladivostok as the factory site.”
“All right. I’ll make sure there’s no inconvenience.”
“I also have a question. I know there is a railway between Vladivostok and North Korea. Does the train regularly operates in this section?”
“It’s irregular, but we ship goods several times a month. But do you have any special orders?”
“If the Trans-Siberian Railway can be connected to South Korea, we can achieve a logistics innovation. I don’t know if North Korea will ever pass it though.”
