Across

1.	Submarine pact born in the Indo-Pacific
11.	Three-letter code for the Balkan state on the Danube
12.	Bringing separate entities under one rule
13.	Silk Road city in the Talas valley
14.	Kosovo party founded by Ibrahim Rugova (abbr.)
15.	International code for the Balkan state whose capital is Tirana
16.	Former imperial capital on the Perfume River
17.	Israeli family whose hostage ordeal became internationally known
19.	Historic French territory linked to the Plantagenets
20.	Ancient Aegean region associated with Miletus
23.	OECD body advancing cooperation on nuclear energy (abbr.)
27.	Archipelagic power at the crossroads of the Indo-Pacific
32.	Northwestern Syrian stronghold of the opposition
34.	Non-state actor influencing policy and public affairs (abbr.)
35.	Ground interface that puts a drone’s pilot in command (abbr.)
36.	Two-letter code for the world’s smallest state (abbr.)
37.	Surname of Truman’s Secretary of State during the Korean War
38.	1959 Nobel Peace Prize winner’s hyphenated surname start
41.	Nordic home of the Nobel Prizes
44.	Three-letter code for the country of Damascus (abbr.)
45.	Greek warriors famed for their stand at Thermopylae
48.	Nation whose capital lies on the Potomac
49.	Military specialists dealing with explosive threats (abbr.)
51.	Three-letter code for the Himalayan republic (abbr.)
52.	People protected under the 1951 Convention
53.	Internet domain code of a seven-emirate federation (abbr.)

Down

1.	Capital once known as Nur-Sultan
2.	Range marking a conventional Europe–Asia divide
3.	US firm behind an ammonia project in Gorakhpur
4.	Home to a landmark China–Singapore industrial partnership
5.	Home to Japan’s celebrated White Heron Castle
6.	Capital at the mouth of the Tagus
7.	African republic once known as Northern Rhodesia
8.	Bohemian city behind a famous lager style
9.	Defensive line protecting a military perimeter (abbr.)
10.	Capital that replaced Constantinople as the seat of power
18.	Mexico’s traditional communal landholding
21.	Indian status held by a European Council president (abbr.)
22.	Internet country code for the home of Rome (abbr.)
24.	Northeast Indian silk with a sustainable fashion appeal
25.	Legendary forefather of the Polish people
26.	Major city of the Çukurova plain
28.	Three-letter code for the giant of West Africa (abbr.)
29.	Palauan state known for its war canoe Bisbush
30.	Egyptian city at the Red Sea’s northern end
31.	Historic city of the former Tabaristan region
33.	Capital where the Sava meets the Danube
39.	Capital on the Han River at the heart of Northeast Asian geopolitics
40.	US battlefield missile system of the Cold War
42.	Spread of nuclear weapons among states (abbr.)
43.	Two-letter code for the country of Tehran (abbr.)
46.	US agency overseeing firearms and explosives (abbr.)
47.	Maritime workhorse for moving the mighty
50.	Making scholarly knowledge freely accessible worldwide (abbr.)

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