Foreign relations

Neutrality in practice

Neutrality is the settled Mahusetan position, and works as a rule rather than a slogan. The Confederation keeps out of micronational quarrels and settles those it cannot avoid by negotiation. The armed forces count the defence of that neutrality among their standing tasks, alongside territorial integrity.

Mahuset is a fifth-world micronation, holding the highest assigned score of 12 under the Boodlesmythe-Tallini System and 4.4 under the Categoric-Gradial System. It is one of the more active states in its part of the micronational world, though its diplomatic role remains a minor one. The Confederation itself is described in the overview.

Policy is made at the Ministry of Foreign and Batyr Bloc Affairs. The minister may extend tacit recognition and grant states of friendship; formal recognition of another state requires an Act of the Lazian Chamber or an executive order.

The clearest application came in September 2020, when Mahuset declared itself neutral in the fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh and withdrew its recognition of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

Neutrality is not silence. Mahuset condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine on the day it began, and within a fortnight voided its recognition of Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Transnistria and Nagorno-Karabakh. The one standing exception to Mahusetan even-handedness is its opposition to the Grand Unified Micronational, or GUM, described under Countering GUM influence.

The Batyr Bloc

Mahuset agreed the Batyr Bloc on 2 November 2020, alongside Hasanistan and Brennonia, and remains an active participant. Much of the members' citizenry is shared.

It was never meant as a political union. The founders took their model from the G7 and the G20: a standing arrangement for diplomatic co-operation, joint projects and cultural exchange, resting on friendships that mostly existed already.

The first summit, held online that same day under Hasan Çakar's chairmanship, set the pattern. Summits follow at roughly three-month intervals, and the chair rotates between participants. Every member state has been recognised since December 2021.

The Batyr Bloc page sets out its membership, how it works and what Mahuset does in it.

Early projects included sporting competitions, an intermicronational hub and a shared press association. That association, named for Van der Huijsen and Çakar, was revived in July 2026 to pool coverage between the Mahusetan, Hasani, Brennonian and Knuffeldierlandic titles.

The Hasani alliance

No Mahusetan tie is older than the one to Hasanistan. The two allied in early 2013, while Mahuset was still a kingdom and years before the Confederation existed. Formal relations followed on 14 May 2017, under a treaty drafted by Emiel van der Huijsen.

In February 2020 the capitals, Lazia and Deñizabat, became sister cities. That July Hasanistan recognised the Mahusetan claim to Virgo, the enclave lying within Hasanistani territory; Virgo and Starnia were merged into a single republic in 2022. Çakar now sits in Lazia as Greffier-Consular and Minister of Defence.

The two have worked together in wider bodies. Mahuset joined the Konmalehth in January 2019, saw Van der Huijsen chair it that July, and withdrew by executive decree the following January after a run of disputes.

Treaties and recognition

Mahuset has recognised every member state of the United Nations since 8 January 2016, and also recognises Vatican City, Kosovo, Taiwan and Somaliland. Recognition is not permanent: in January 2019 eight treaties with by then extinct nations were repealed.

Treaties of mutual recognition have been concluded with ten states, beginning with the Empire of Karnia-Ruthenia on 14 January 2016. Later partners include Atovia, Brennonia, the Angle-Saxish Kingdom and Salanda.

Two of them carry the most weight. The Treaty of Mutual Recognition, Bilateral Relations and Friendship with Austenasia, ratified on 6 June 2025, provides for recognition, peaceful settlement of disputes and non-interference. A treaty with Newer Eiffel, also known as Knuffeldierland, followed in June 2026, adding permanent diplomatic channels and one Blahaj shark plushie as a gesture of amity.

Mahuset has also signed the Wrythe, Edgbaston and Montediszamble conventions, against fraud, false claims and incivility. Treaty texts appear under publications. Informal representation rests with ambassadors-at-large; Zabëlle Skye-Greys has held the MicroWiki community post since May 2026.

Austenasia and York

Austenasia is the Confederation's closest partner outside the bloc. The 2025 treaty was signed during an Austenasian constitutional crisis, with Mahuset backing Prime Minister Andrew Musgrave against Emperor Aggelos I; that support was renewed in October 2025, after Aggelos abdicated.

The two also hold ground in common. A territorial agreement granted land to Austenasia and established New North Scotland, a Mahusetan region near Groot-Geestmerambacht. The Mahusetan Police and the Marechaussee hold law-enforcement authority there, resting on the Lord-Stadtholder's Austenasian rank of Major-General.

In May 2026 Van der Huijsen conferred the title of Chad on Johannes Karl, then heir to the throne. The Confederation recognises him as Emperor Johannes Karl I Augustus, crowned at York on 25 July 2026, and rejects the rival claim advanced under Alexander VI. It deals with the government crowned at York and with no other.

Countering GUM influence

One relationship is deliberately cold. In July 2019 the National Convention approved, without opposition, a measure barring any Mahusetan administration, present or future, from applying to join the GUM, calling it elitist and undemocratic.

Related steps followed. In June 2025 the Lord-Stadtholder accepted the honorary headship of the Coalition of Concerned Citizens against the Propagation of GUM Influence.

The policy hardened in February 2026. Responsibility passed from the foreign ministry to a dedicated agency, IB-CONTRA, the Internationale Bond tegen de Invloed van de GUM, which runs the "You Can Say No to GUM Influence" campaign and its day of remembrance. Seeking membership is now a censurable offence, punishable by suspension and, exceptionally, removal and exile.