Vestnik MGIMO-Universiteta (Jan 2015)
Public Diplomacy in EEU Region: Understanding the Phenomenon and its Development
Abstract
Abstract: Public diplomacy has gained solid positions in the international discourse. Its resources are aimed at increase of the attractiveness of the country for the international society. Interest to the public diplomacy grows in EEU countries and its problematics is being studied by specialists in Russia and by its partners in integration project. Practice of the public diplomacy in EEU region is a result of different activities of national organizations in Russia, Belorussia, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kirgizia. Currently their activities is based on bilateral basis. In closer look of the goals and targets of work, in every country it has different particularities from the perspective of priority formats, scales of the projects and its participants. Public diplomacy as a distinguished direction of the international activity gained the most popularity in Russia and Kazakhstan. The most popular projects are Gorchakov Fund, Rossotrudnichestvo, contributions to the integration process. The joint priority are projects oriented at youth and educational development. Altogether, public diplomacy resources are bringing not only elites but also widen society strata together. Eurasian trend of the public diplomacy is only being establishing now. The experience shows that socialhumanitarian cooperation that is 1 target for public diplomacy is the most delicate type of cooperation. It is very sensitive to the changes and in political, economic context. Russia as the largest EEU participant is interested in enhancing of resources of the public diplomacy in Eurasian format. Such resources strengthen humanitarian cooperation, good-neighborly relations and security atmosphere in the nearest regions.
