Okhoa–Krauanagaz Rift Deepens
Varekko, Okhoa– Okhoa says it has suspended its visa-waiver program for Krauanagazan nationals, forcing business and family-visit applicants into protracted security screenings at Keyli’s ports of entry. Analysts say to expect ferry and cargo routes across the Gulf of Good Omen to dramatically slow as they now fall subject to “enhanced security inspections,” with merchant vessels facing delays of up to five days for manifest checks.
Okhoa’s Regional Council unveiled new visa requirements for Krauanagazan nationals to accompany the visa-waiver suspension. Those include mandatory background checks, biometric registration, and a non-refundable application fee of 200 velliarizas per traveler. The Regional Council says these measures apply to all short-term visits, including business and academic exchanges.
In addition, Okhoa announced the commission of two new radar stations along its northern coastline to monitor air and sea traffic in the Gulf. Officials report construction began last week near the port of Ka’atria, with surface patrols launched to counter alleged Krauanagazan intelligence-gathering via small craft. Zuhlgan’s Foreign Office reported last week that it has stepped up maritime intelligence sharing with Okhoa, exchanging real-time vessel-tracking data. Krauanagaz decried this as, “an orchestrated bloc against its sovereign interests.”
Late Sunday evening the Okhoa Regional Council ordered the shutdown of two Krauanagazan honorary consulates in coastal towns— Twrayan and Zharif— by May 7. Okhoan authorities cited “continued hostile intelligence activities” as justification. The Krauanagazan State Department says it is considering recalling its remaining consular staff from Varekko. A move that would leave no official Krauanagazan presence in Okhoa.
The Krauanagazan State Department announced the temporary recall of Ambassador Lyrien Salrok for consultations, pending “clarification of Okhoa’s evidence.” This marks the first high-level diplomatic withdrawal since the Project Phoenix scandal in 2024. Krauanagazan-led protests erupted outside Okhoa’s liaison office in Yayyára. Demonstrators carried placards reading “Diplomacy, Not Deception” and demanded that Okhoa present the classified files purportedly proving espionage.
The escalating tit-for-tat measures signal a deepening crisis in Okhoa-Krauanagaz relations. Whether international mediation can break the impasse remains uncertain; for now, both governments brace for a diplomatic winter that risks chilling not only state-to-state ties but also the more fragile security and economic arrangements underpinning the Gulf of Good Omen.