Hours after Kerlile imposed a total embargo on Zamastan in a rebuke towards Zamastan's current sanctioning of Xiomera, the Imperial Republic's now embattled President, Anya Bishop, has played her hand once again. With her second sweeping executive order of the day, Bishop announced sanctions on every Kerlian product available for purchase in Zamastan. The announcement comes on the heals of what is already shaping out to be Zamastan's greatest trading conflict in the past decade.
Upon her return to Zamastan on Tuesday night from her trip to Sanctaria, where she met with President Woodstrum, Bishop made her announcement regarding the joint sanctioning of Kerlile and Xiomera. The President stated that "Kerlile's actions have propped up a brutal and oppressive dictator in the form of Emperor Topilpopoca, and this in turn shows the brutal and oppressive nature of the Kerlian government. With this note, I have signed an executive order that imposes equal sanctions on both nations: Xiomera and Kerlile. The current forms of sanctions and embargo we have on Xiomera will be passed in addition to the Matriarchy of Kerlile."
The current and additional sanctions freeze assets of both governments and their associated entities. The sanctions also prohibit economic transactions with either the Xiomeran government or the Kerlian government, unless specifically exempted which would be the case for emergency international needs. Exemptions include official business of the federal government and transactions related to the provision of humanitarian aid, which currently entails the expected exodus of Zamastanian citizens from Xiomera. Already, 84 Zamastanian citizens have left Xiomera in the wake of the Secretary of Trade's announcement for free returning flights.
Kerlile also has imposed an embargo on Trivian made goods following a cyber-attack that targeted Kerlile's news broadcast systems. Though condemning Trive for the attack, stating that "it undermines the infrastructure of a sovereign nation," Bishop also called for Kerlile to lift their "oppressive propaganda".
President Rebecca Arnott of Kerlile has been directly hit with sanctions as a result of Bishop's order, which is expected to curb her ability to receive many luxury goods with Zamastanian tailored parts and pieces. Neighboring Lauchenoiria has received 13 aid-packages from Zamastan that amount to a total of Z$270 billion in the process of rebuilding and public service opportunities following that nation's civil war last year. Kerlile has been a negative voice in the play of the post-war region, and is suspected of participating in espionage operations in nations working to benefit their ties with the healing nation.