We theoretically investigate collision of optical beams travelling in opposite directions through a centrosymmetric photorefractive crystal biased by a spatially non-uniform voltage. We analytically predict the fusion of counterpropagating solitons i
n conditions in which the applied voltage is rapidly modulated along the propagation axis, so that self-bending is suppressed by the restoring symmetry mechanism. Moreover, when the applied voltage is slowly modulated, we predict that the modified self-bending allows conditions in which the two beams fuse together, forming a curved light-channel splice.
