Arnica, Borage and Catnip are neighbouring States and former colonies of Paprika. The two main ethnic groups in Arnica - the Odds and the Evens - are treated very differently. The Odds are given favoured positions in the government, while the Evens, who live mainly in the coastal Verbena province of Arnica, experience systematic discrimination. The Evens have rebelled against their treatment, leading to further acts of repression by Arnica, which passed laws restricting the right of the Evens to hold demonstrations or engage in public cultural activities.

To address what it calls 'the Verbena problem' Arnica concluded a treaty with Borage, ceding the province of Verbena to Borage. Catnip, the population of which is largely composed of Evens, issued a statement condemning the treaty, and complaining that Arnica and Borage were 'treating Verbena and its people as a commodity'.

Following a referendum by the Evens in Verbena in January 2020, the Verbena Provincial Council declared Verbena to be an independent State named the 'Republic of Verbena', with borders extending beyond the former province of Verbena to encompass several remote communities of Evens in Arnica and Borage.

The Republic of Verbena was immediately recognised by Catnip and a Catnip embassy was established in the capital of Verbena. Borage refused to recognise the independence of Verbena. By January 2021 some 125 States had recognised the Republic of Verbena as a State, but its applications to join the United Nations and other international organisations have so far been unsuccessful.

Identify and analyse the issues of public international law that arise from these facts.