INTERNATIONAL LEGAL REGULATION OF THE “CENTRAL ASIA – RUSSIA” FORMAT: EVOLUTION, TREATY FRAMEWORK, AND LIMITS OF INSTITUTIONALIZATION
Keywords:
Central Asia, Russian Federation, international law, international treaty, soft law, functional institutionalization, implementationAbstract
The article examines the international legal nature, regulatory architecture, and limits of the institutionalization of the “Central Asia – Russia” format. Four levels of regulation are distinguished: bilateral agreements; obligations within the framework of existing regional organizations; policy and program documents of the format itself; and national and sectoral implementation. Based on materials from the 2022 and 2025 summits, the 2025–2027 Joint Action Plan, and the ninth meeting of foreign ministers in 2026, it is substantiated that this mechanism is undergoing functional institutionalization without acquiring the characteristics of an independent international organization. A comparison with the “Central Asia – China,” C5+1, “Central Asia – European Union,” and “Central Asia – GCC” formats reveals a special Russian trajectory: high saturation of the external legal and contractual environment while maintaining the soft legal nature of its own six-party acts. Specific monitoring procedures and a set of recommendations for the Republic of Uzbekistan are proposed.
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