The 1978 Cross-Border Exchange Protocol Act was a landmark piece of diplomatic legislation that created the first legal framework for travel between the Divine Republic of Kresimiria and its southern neighbor, Boskenmark, since the Unification War.
Proposed by BLF leader Stipe Seitz, the Act codified the so-called “Schedl Doctrine”—the philosophy of Director Bianca Schedl of the Bosken Heritage Foundation—which argued that cultural exchange should be de-coupled from political conflict.
While the Act did not fully open the militarized border, it established a visa system for academics, artists, and religious scholars. It is considered the crowning achievement of the “Quiet Resistance” era of Bosken politics, though it provoked a violent backlash from hardline separatists in AFIM (who saw it as normalization of the border) and Kresimirian nationalists (who saw it as a security risk).
Background
Since 1921, the border between District X and Boskenmark had been a “Dead Zone,” passable only by smugglers. Following the 1961 Treaty, tensions cooled, but legal travel remained impossible.
In the 1970s, Bianca Schedl began lobbying the Council for Foreign Affairs for an exemption for scholars. She argued that denying Bosken intellectuals access to libraries in Boskenmark was a form of cultural genocide.
Ante Brov, the pragmatic leader of Blue Dawn, saw an opportunity. By allowing limited travel, he hoped to strengthen the moderate BLF against the terrorist AFIM, effectively buying peace with visas.
The “Schedl Doctrine” Provisions
The Act established specific categories of “Non-Political Travelers” eligible for the “Cultural Visa”:
- Academic Exchange: Professors from BMDU were permitted to attend conferences in Boskenmark.
- Religious Pilgrimage: Clergy of the Pravoslavic Faith were allowed to cross for specific holy days, subject to vetting by the CIA.
- Family Reunification: A limited quota for families separated by the 1921 partition to meet in the neutral zone.
Parliamentary Passage
The vote was one of the tightest in the history of the Brov administration.
- The “Soft” Coalition:
- BLF (2 seats): Seitz and his colleague voted in favor.
- Northern Power (4 seats): Ilja Brasic whipped the party to support the bill. NP supported it not out of love for Boskenmark, but to establish a precedent for cross-border trade that might later benefit the north’s relations with Kaskiv.
- Blue Dawn (4 seats): The party split. Brov managed to convince the “Class of ‘72”—younger, more liberal senators like Edvard Matas—to support the bill as a modernization measure.
- CRF (1 seat): Mia Marija Pavlovic voted for the Act, as a liberalisation and modernisation push.
- The Nationalist Opposition:
- Sons of Kresimir (1 seat): Tihomir Bran vehemently opposed it, calling it a “tunnel for spies.”
- Vjetrusa (3 seats): Haret Trn voted against, citing military security.
- Blue Dawn (5 seats): The conservative wing, including Nika Radman, revolted against Brov, fearing the erosion of the border.
The Act passed 11–9.
| Senator | Vote |
|---|---|
| Edvard Matas (BD) | For |
| Ante Brov (BD) | For |
| Sinisa Ivic (BD) | Against |
| Cvjetko Bebic (VJ) | Against |
| Filip Danijel Janes (BD) | For |
| Tihomir Bran (SoK) | Against |
| Pavel Iric (NP) | For |
| Ilja Brasic (NP) | For |
| Nika Radman (BD) | Against |
| Ivica Grebenara (VJ) | Against |
| Miljenko Tarin (NP) | For |
| Haret Trn (VJ) | Against |
| Mia Marija Pavlovic (CRF) | For |
| Ante Dumanovic (BD) | For |
| Veselina Jolar (BD) | Against |
| Dalibor Pralinovic (NP) | For |
| Stojana Czyhlarz (BD) | Against |
| Dorde Palic (BD) | Against |
| Nadja Vrasch (BLF) | For |
| Stipe Seitz (BLF) | For |
Aftermath
The first legal crossing occurred in December 1978, attended and opened by BHF Director Bianca Schedl. It was a major propaganda victory for the BLF and the BHF. However, the thaw was fragile. In 1981, AFIM burned down the BHF’s cultural center in protest, arguing that Schedl and Seitz had legitimized the border by accepting Kresimirian visas to cross it.