A historic feat, an agreement has been reached by both sides to finally allow the free movement of citizens and goods between our nations. This is a step forward not only for Qennes and Niscavo, but also for the entirety of ASUN and Uletha. It will allow easier trading and travel on one of the busiest routes in the entire continent.

Adriana Lumean, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qennes

The officials of Qennes and Niscavo, two southern Ulethan nations and members of the ASUN organization, have met in Klavopoli to sign the agreement that ends the control of movement on the two nations’ border crossing checkpoints. The ceremony was attended by the representatives from Niscavo, Qennes and ASUN, the president of Niscavo and the archduke of Qennes.

Previously, citizens required a passport upon entrance in each country via the many crossings, most notably the one in Ektiria, which is the busiest border crossing for Qennes and the 2nd busiest for Niscavo. The coastal Iviran highway corridor is incredibly busy, carrying hundreds of thousands of vehicles every day. The traffic is notoriously chaotic during the tourist season when local commuting traffic, goods transportation and tourist traffic all meet on a single highway, alongside the vehicles driving across the region.

This agreement is not only a sign of peace, democracy, friendship and cooperation, but [is] also a technical improvement to the infrastructure of our countries and the entire region. This is what ASUN initiatives bring to its citizens.

Konstantin Aleos, Representative of ASUN’s South Uletha Agency for Infrastructure and Transport

Waiting at the border brought increased traffic jams and slowed down the movement. This change should relief all of those issues.

However, this agreement didn’t come with no opposition. Several political parties in Qennes, notably PSK (Socialist Party) and Alternativă, as well as some not present in the National Arch-House, have the opposed the idea of removing security control noting potential vulnerabilities coming with it, including increased smuggling, trafficking and a larger risk of terrorist attacks.

Qennes and Niscavo share one additional land border, with Antharia, while Qennes also borders Malësoria. Both nations have expressed interest into removing border controls with Antharia, however an agreement is yet to be reached.

The officials and representatives of Niscavo and Qennes have encouraged other nations to follow their example to ease the movement of people and goods within ASUN, noting the year 2023 to be incredibly challenging for the organization, but starting it with a positive feat is a sign of good hope.

Marcio Melania, Presses Généralistes 2023