Lazia, 4 July 2017 — Diplomatic relations between the Confederation of Mahuset and the Abeldane Empire have frozen, after President Emiel van der Huijsen was banned from the national Abeldane chat room over what Mahuset says are false accusations of spying for the Shorewellese Empire.
The episode — known in Mahuset as Spygate, and as Shorewell-Coriagate outside it — saw the president accused of espionage on behalf of Shorewell in the Abeldane chat, "Abel to Dabel". Following his ban, Van der Huijsen called emergency sessions of the Lazian Chamber to address what he described as Abeldane violations of the treaty between the two states, prompted by what he characterised as "slanderous remarks" by the Abeldane emperor.