In Geopolitics Today - Thursday, September 30th
Serbia & Kosovo Reach Deal to Ease Border Tensions and India Building Strategic Tunnel Between Kashmir & Ladakh
Serbia and Kosovo Agree to Ease Border Tensions
For the last ten days, Kosovo and Serbia have been embroiled in another diplomatic spat. Kosovo has reportedly begun stopping vehicles with Serbian registration plates from entering the country, while at the same time accusing Serbia of carrying out similar practices. But now tensions appear to have been eased as Serbia and Kosovo, together with representatives from the EU, have reached an agreement to resolve the dispute.
Already poor relations between the two countries took a turn for the worse earlier this month when Kosovo reportedly began requiring Serbian drivers to purchase temporary license plates in order to cross the border. Pristina apparently did this in response to similar actions by Serbia. The move caused anger amongst ethnic Serb communities, some of which are said to have blocked the provisional border in protest. Pristina responded by deploying its special forces at the Jarinje and Brnjak border crossings, which prompted Belgrade to put armoured vehicles at the border area.
The spat comes as relations between the two appeared to be thawing in recent months. While Serbia continues to reject the right to statehood for Kosovo, the two have been involved in EU-mediated talks aimed at normalising relations since March 2020. Both Belgrade and Pristina hope to join the EU in the future and have undertaken concrete steps to resolve some of the differences corroding relations. The two have already reached agreement on deals relating to trade, freedom of movement, and the mutual recognition of academic institutions.
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India Building Strategic Tunnel Between Kashmir and Ladakh
India is undertaking a grand construction project in the Himalayas. In an effort to create a land bridge between Ladakh and Kashmir Valley, New Delhi hopes to alleviate logistical difficulties in supplying a remote region with increasing geopolitical significance. Hundreds of people are now drilling tunnels and building bridges to connect the Kashmir Valley with Ladakh, a strategically significant region which borders Pakistan and China which currently depends on air supplies.
Officials say that a tunnel 6.5 kilometres in length has already been completed, with three more expected to be constructed under the project. The longest tunnel will be roughly 14 kilometres long, and will bypass the Zojila pass in connecting Sonamarg with Ladakh. Indian military planners stress that the project is extremely important for Ladakh, and once completed will afford New Delhi logistics flexibility on top of operational and strategic mobility.
India has prioritised building infrastructure in border states and union territories in the wake of the ongoing standoff with China along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh. New Delhi is determined to transform its armed forces in remote regions into self-sufficient units. To accomplish this, the country is looking to build tunnels and bridges in these remote parts of the country. Once completed, the tunnel network will allow India to more effectively transfer troops and arms to remote parts of the country throughout the year.
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