Abstract: The active development of international relations in the conditions of globalization provokes an increase of the interest towards the individual countries. In this context there occurs a shift in the emphasis within the framework of the state's foreign policy towards attracting political interest in the country through the mechanisms of "soft power". The author examines the features of the Italian external cultural policy and observes its resources which are promoted within the framework of creating a positive image of Italy in the Asian countries, in particular, in Uzbekistan as a post-Soviet space country. Novelty of the research consists in the necessity of an overview of activities of Italian official actors promoting a positive image of a country taking into consideration the apparent shift of the vector of international relations and cultural diplomacy towards the Central Asia region accured with the arrival of a new decade of the XXI century. It also leands to the implementing different approaches of the "soft power" policy depending on the country of presence. With the use of general scientific methods such as analysis and interpretation of information and forecasting, it becomes possible to present a detailed consideration of the components of Italian national culture and the official events conducted by official actors of the Italian external cultural policy. The article is also aimed at finding out the approaches of choosing platforms for promoting the identified resources of the Italian "soft power". The study reveals the Italian culture components promoted in Uzbekistan, studies the directions and spheres they are present and evaluate the prospects for work in the furtherance of the Italian "soft power" resources promoted within the external cultural policy of the Italian Republic in the region of Central Asia.

Keywords: Uzbekistan, Central Asia, Soft power, Italian culture, Uzbek and Italian relations, national culture promotion, international cooperation, cultural diplomacy, External cultural policy, geo-branding

Abstract: In this study, an attempt is made to form a holistic view of the image of Russia in Europe on the example of the image of the country in the UK, France and Germany, which was formed in the period from 2000 to 2014, i.e. before the annexation of Crimea to Russia, since this event had negative consequences for the image of Russia in European countries and after it the image significantly deteriorated. The choice of the object and subject of research is dictated by the purpose of this work. The object is the image of the state as one of the most significant elements of "soft power", and the subject is the image of Russia in Europe from 2000 to 2014. The purpose of this study is to examine the image of Russia during this period in European countries (using the example of the image of Russia in the UK, France and Germany). The research methodology is based on the principles of scientific objectivity and consistency: materials are selected and considered in the context of the situation, and facts and events are analyzed comprehensively. An important role in the research was assigned to general scientific research methods – content analysis and comparative analysis. The interdisciplinary approach makes it possible to use the achievements of such sciences as political science, image studies, sociology, psychology and marketing in the work. The territorial boundaries of the study cover countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany and France. The scientific novelty of the work consists in a comprehensive analysis of the factors influencing the perception of the image of the Russian Federation in Europe during this period. It can be stated that in the 2000s, in the context of the problem of perception of the image of Russia in the UK, France and Germany, ethnocentrism and altruistic democracy were significant concepts. It is also important to note that in the 2000s, not only negative, but also some positive characteristics of Russia's image were presented in European countries.

Keywords: France, Germany, Great Britain, EU, Europe, Russia, PR, perception, image, promotion

Abstract: In recent years, Russia has been paying great attention to the Olympic Games. The Olympic Movement plays an important role in shaping the country's foreign policy image and promoting national interests. The purpose of this article is to determine what impact the Olympic Games have on the formation of the image of the Russian Federation. The main stages of Russia's participation in the Olympic Games in 1994-2022, forming the image of the country, are highlighted. The study showed that the first two stages, including the period from 1994 to 2012 and the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, were extremely successful in forming a positive image of Russia, which was constructed thanks to the successes of Russian athletes, the construction of a "Russian House" in Olympic parks, the opening and closing ceremonies at the Sochi Olympics, as well as the Sochi 2014 Cultural Olympiad project. The image of Russia as a great sports power was strengthened. However, Russia's participation in the Olympics from 2016 to 2022 was not so successful and affected the image of our country. The deterioration of the image was caused by various doping scandals related to Russian athletes. The authors came to the conclusion that the Olympic Games from 1994 to 2012 and the Olympic Games in Sochi – 2014, which we refer to the first two stages, had a steady positive effect on the image of Russia. However, the negative factors that have arisen since 2016 partially offset the successes achieved in this direction in previous years. Due to the current geopolitical situation, holding another Olympic Games in Russia is not expected in the foreseeable future, so at the moment the best option is to focus on the development of sports within the country. Also, to create a positive image of Russia, it is important to revive the practice of creating a "Russian House" in Olympic parks.

Keywords: sportsmen, doping, culture, soft power, Russian House, image, Sochi Olympics, Russia, Olympic Games, sport

Abstract: The subject of research is quantitative and qualitative characteristics of representation of the issue of Pan-Turkism in the Mass Media. The authors study two trends of development of the Pan-Turkism ideas: on the other hand, marginalization, on the other hand - actualization, which corresponds with the periods of crises (wars, epidemics, political crises). As an alternative to separatist movements, the authors name the increase of the role of transborder cooperation in the context of Eurasian integration with the help of the Eurasian Economic Union, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Eurasian Economic Community, and the project of transborder regional cooperation Big Altai. The purpose of the research is to characterise the main media trends of presentation of the Pan-Turkism issue in the Mass Media. The authors demonstrate the assessment of quantitative and qualitative characteristics of media coverage of the ideas of Pan-Turkism (the dynamics of referring; the activity of media in the number of messages and mediaindex, the level, categories, genres, the most remarkable newsworthy events; the role of international social, religious, educational organizations; the position of countries, regions, public figures, government and social organizations and institutions in the media coverage of the Pan-Turkism ideas). The scientific novelty consists in the fact that the context of references to the Pan-Turkism ideas in the media, as well as the media trends in this field which are being formed, almost haven’t been studied. The main conclusions of the research are about the information agenda, formed mainly by the Russian federal Internet media, aimed at the coverage of the Pan-Turkism issues. The most active in the formation of the Pan-Turkism agenda are the Russian pro-government and pro-Armenian media. Turkey, Armenia, Syria, Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh have a negative image in the media materials in the context of Pan-Turkism. Russia, the U.S., China. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, as well as such political figures as Recep Erdoğan, Vladimir Putin, Ilham Aliyev and Nikol Vovayi Pashinyan are referred to in a positive context.   

Keywords: content analysis, mass media analysis, nationalism, Pan-Turanism, Pan-Turkism, Pan-ideologies, Great Atai, Central Asia, Turkey, Russia

Abstract: The research subject is the domestic political image of the EU. the author considers such aspects of the topic as the problems of forming a political actor’s image in the context of a system crisis destabilizing the reputation capital of the EU and worsening the organization’s political image. Special attention is given to analyzing the key functional values of the EU, formulating specific image messages for each of the established domestic targeted audience, and defining the mission of the EU’s domestic political image aimed at improving the compatibility of the EU suffering one of the hardest periods since the creation of a unified Europe project. The author uses the system analysis which considers the image of a political actor as a system with its components, links between the components and the outside influencing the forming image. The author analyzes empirical materials (official data of the Eurobarometer census study), which help to form objective understanding of the current state of the EU’s domestic political image. The scientific novelty of the study consists in detecting the key problems of the current domestic political image of the EU and in defining the particular direction of transformation of the EU’s domestic political image in the context of existential crisis. The author formulates a particular domestic political mission of the EU based on the factor of “care” which  becomes an umbrella image message of the actor: “The EU cares about its citizens”.  

Keywords: domestic political image, the image message, the mission of the EU, image policy, image, crisis, the EU, political image, political values, soft power

Abstract: The article overviews the relationship between Russia and Austria since the XVIII century on the example of relations between St. Petersburg, the former capital of the Russian Empire until 1917, and Vienna remaining the capital of Austria until now. The relations explored from the perspective of friendly and voluntary cultural ties can be traced both in the formal (political) and informal fields. The main directions of the relations considered in the article are as follows: education, small and large business, festival and tour movement, Museum contacts. The article also pays attention to the issues of interpersonal, domestic interaction, tourist flows and Austria’s activity at the UNESCO platform – the organization actively working in Russia in general and in St. Petersburg in particular. The main information sources of the article were the official site of the St. Petersburg Government, the website of The Austrian Embassy in Moscow, as well as publications in the Russian-language press about some projects in the cultural sphere of both States. In the light of the tense political situation between Russia and Europe in 2017-2018, such an appeal to the historical roots and the call for friendship between the two States seems more than relevant and topical. The article provides a number of assumptions about the possible ways of further development of cooperation, the prospects of the current course maintainance, and also emphasizes the historically grounded similarity of the studied objects.

Keywords: sights of Saint-Petersburg, Austrian ambassador, the history of Russia, St. Petersburg, intangible heritage, cultural exchange, Austria, Government of St. Petersburg, education, German

Abstract: Today Non-Governmental Organizations have emerged as a full-fledged actor of public diplomacy. Adeptly employing the "soft power" tools in their activities, they cultivate the country's positive image abroad thus solving a number of foreign-policy problems. The Heydar Aliyev Foundation is an example of such an organization in Azerbaijan. By the aid of the Foundation mugham (one of the genres of national music) has been included in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, and the Khojaly Massacre was recognized as genocide by the countries of Latin America and several US states. In addition, this institution has implemented the most successful media image project of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the field of mass media - Baku magazine - whose main goal is the promotion of the country's historical and cultural heritage. The article is based on the methods of historicism, objectivity and integrity which allowed the author to draw independent conclusions reflective of the real state of affairs. It is noteworthy that the Heydar Aliyev Foundation is considered an organization that forms the opinion on modern Azerbaijan in the international arena through successful implementation of a number of projects in the field of science, education, culture, and mass media. According to the author, it is the multifaceted activity that allowed the Foundation to become the largest and highly reputed social structure not only of the Republic of Azerbaijan but of the whole region.Keywords: public diplomacy, soft power, NGO, Heydar Aliyev Foundation, UNESCO, Mehriban Aliyeva, Leyla Aliyeva, mugham, Justice of Khojaly, Baku magazine

Keywords: Leyla Aliyeva, Mehriban Aliyeva, UNESCO, NGOs, Heydar Aliyev Foundation, soft power, public diplomacy, mugham, Justice for Khojaly, Baku magazine

Abstract: The article studies the conceptualization of the image of Russia in Germany during the period of 1990 – 2016. The research object is the conceptual background of the concepts interpreting the image of Russia. The author studies the example of the “Die Zeit” newspaper. To reconstruct the image of Russia, the author analyzes such key aspects as “size”, “economics”, “democracy”, “aggression”, and “political leader”. The topicality of the study is determined by the lack of scientific works about the linguistic representation of the image of a state, which is formed by the mass media and is the subject of discussion in political science, philosophy and history. In the context of the new cold war between Russia and the West with a prominent mass-media and information component, the author believes it is important to analyze the linguistic manipulation in mass-media aimed at the formation of a definite public opinion about Russia. The author uses the statistical, descriptive, interpretative and comparative methods, the method of continuous sampling and specific sampling and complex studies, and analysis of scientific works on this topic. Based on complex and diversified analysis of materials, the authors conclude that against the background of cooperation between Russia and Germany, mass media create the negative image of Russia, to a large extent based on stereotypes, but having dynamic features. In general, in Germans’ worldview, Russia is a huge country with low-developed economy, absence of democracy, pursuing aggressive policy. The authoritativeness of Russian leaders in the country often doesn’t correlate with the attitude towards them abroad. During the period under study, the image of Russia in the German mass media has changed several times. The positive dynamics has been observed in the recent year. 

Keywords: aggression, economy, size, linguistic world image, concept, mass media, Germany, image of Russia, democracy, political leader

Abstract: The research object is the policy of Russia’s cultural safety provision. The research subject is the role of the sports sphere in the provision of the country’s cultural safety. Special emphasis is put on the international component of the issue. Soft power is gaining more and more importance in the modern international arena; it consists in the country’s ability to influence international affairs without using military power or threat of it. One of the key components of soft power is cultural influence, and the international prestige in the sports sphere is one of its elements. Cultural influence, in its turn, is an essential component of the national cultural safety provision. In this paper, the author analyzes Russia’s cooperation with other countries during the 2014 Olympic games in Sochi and in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. The author analyzes the doping scandals, associated with these sports events, the work of Media during these sports events, and their political aspects. The author compares the activities of Russia and Brazil, aimed at their international image promotion during the Summer Olympic games. The theoretical base of the work includes the studies of J. Nye, A. Wendt, S. Huntington, V.V. Kochetkov, and A.V. Torkunov. The author applies the methods of sources analysis, comparative analysis, introspection, and content-analysis of the relevant documents. The author concludes that significant expenditures for the country’s sports prestige maintenance are very important for Russia’s cultural influence. The author is the first Russian scholar who considers the aspects of international cooperation in the sports sphere. The author analyzes the current and the latest developments in this sphere. 

Keywords: national safety, sport, international cooperation, cultural aspects, cultural safety, international influence, national prestige, Soft power, International image, Olympic games

Abstract: The article is devoted to the humanitarian side of Russia’s image in Europe. The author emphasizes the cultural, scientific, and educational cooperation between Russia and the EU which not only has particular results, but is also the example of Russia’s “soft power” promotion. The article considers the examples of this cooperation and defines its main advantages. Special attention is paid to the explanation of the importance of cooperation with the European countries in this sphere. The research object is the image of Russia in the EU; the research subject is its humanitarian side. The research methodology is based on the comparative analysis and observation, and the methods of induction and deduction. The author considers the importance of the nation branding mechanism in the image policy of Russia. Moreover, the scientific novelty of the study lies in the attempt to divide the European population into various groups according to the criteria of loyalty towards Russia. The author emphasizes the importance of sociological and marketing research of the audience for increasing the cooperation effectiveness. 

Keywords: country's image, scientific cooperation, cooperation in the educational sphere, European countries, image, EU, nation branding, Russia's image, loyalty, soft power