FEATURES OF THE INTERNAL POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT OF KYRGYZSTAN IN THE POST-SOVIET PERIOD

Kyrgyzstan, like other states of the post-Soviet space, has passed a challenging path in its development since gaining independence. Three de- cades of the republic’s existence in the new geopolitical conditions revealed the peculiarities of its political, socio-economic and cultural evolution, that distinguish the Kyrgyz Republic from the Central Asian neighbours and other republics of Commonwealth of Independent States. Supporting the concept of the history of the Kyrgyz people while preserving certain traditions of the Turkic nomadic civilization has become a fundamental part of the emerging national identity. Another important feature of building the political system in the Kyrgyz Republic is the attempt to create a Western-style democratic state based on its own experience of implementing “nomadic democracy”. The presence of constant zigzag jumps in the evolution of the political system of the republic (i.e., repeated transitions from the presidential form of government to the presidential-parliamentary form and back) can be traced throughout the existence of post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan. At the same time, it should be noted that the described processes are due to a special geographical location, which ini- tially affects the formation of the corresponding type of economic management. That in turn, affects the political development of the country.

RUSSIAN-UZBEKISTAN RELATIONS IN THE LAST YEARS OF THE PRESIDENCY OF ISLAM KARIMOV

The article investigates the evolution of the Russian-Uzbekistani relations in the last years of the presidency of Islam Karimov (2012–2016). Based on a wide range of official sources and periodicals, it identifies the main trends, achievements and issues of bilateral cooperation in the political, trade, economic and humanitarian spheres. It determines the factors that influenced the interaction between Moscow and Tashkent, and pays a particular attention to the role of the presidents of the two states in the development and strength- ening of their cooperation. The author concludes that throughout the period under review the Rus- sian-Uzbekistani relations faced serious challenges. They were remarkably conflicting, unpredictable, inconsistent, and quite turbulent, what provoked the discussions about the correspondence of their real political condition to their high legal status (in 2004, Russia and Uzbekistan became strategic part- ners, and in 2005, allied states). Nevertheless, the two countries overcame most of their differences and took a course towards the further expansion and deep- ening, as well as modernization of their relations. As a result, at present Uzbeki- stan remains one of the most important Russia’s partners not only in Central Asia, but throughout the post-Soviet space, as well as within the framework of the leading international organizations.

COOPERATION OF CIS MEMBER STATES ON SECURITY ISSUES

Throughout the period of the existence of the Commonwealth of Independent States, mechanisms were formed to determine the topical direc- tions of joint lawmaking, to jointly develop and implement legal norms, to work on the approximation of national legislations, etc. Already at an early stage of the functioning of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the cooperation of national prosecutor’s offices acquired special significance, as evidenced by the establishment of the Coordination Council of Prosecutor- Generals of Commonwealth Member States in 1995. The present article studies the basic aspects of the interaction between prosecutor’s offices in the Commonwealth of Independent States in the protection of the human and civil rights and free- doms. The article also looks at the dynamics of offending in Commonwealth countries and analyses the factors influencing it; it gives examples of reforms to criminal law and criminal procedure in some Commonwealth countries aimed at making the justice system more effective and protecting the rights and freedoms of citizens. The author pays particular attention to the work of the Russian prosecution services, stressing that the experience of lawmaking and the law enforcement practices of the Russian Federation may be of use in the practical work of the general prosecutor’s offices of the post-Soviet countries that are members of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

THE MAIN STAGES OF THE FORMATION OF THE UKRAINIAN DIASPORA IN THE UNITED STATES

The article focuses on the emigration of Ukrainians to the US and the formation of a Ukrainian diaspora there. Emigration from ethnic Ukrainian territories began at the end of the nineteenth century and has continued to the present day. The generally accepted periodisation considers five waves of emigration (before 1914, 1914–1945, 1945–1986, 1986–2014 and after 2014) and therefore five stages of the diaspora formation. As the study shows, the stages or waves of emigration from Ukraine largely coincide with the migration processes in the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and finally in the post-Sovi- et space, but there are also a number of differences that need to be understood. The diaspora issues were often linked to issues of emigrant self-determination, identity formation as well as the policies of the recipient state. Political, social, educational and other organisations have been formed within the diaspora over the course of its existence, with the diaspora institutionalisation pro- cesses varying according to the specific historical period. In the context of the continuation of the next stage of Ukrainian emigration to the United States and the evolution of the diaspora today, a historical and genetic study of the transmigration of Ukrainians overseas and the formation of diaspora structures acquires particular relevance.

THE TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE COMMUNITY OF BELARUS AND RUSSIA. ACHIEVEMENTS AND OUTLOOKS

April 2,2021 marks the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on the Union between Belarus and Russia, which laid the foundation for integration of the two countries. The article analyses results of the twenty- five-year development of the Russia-Belarus relations and assesses their pros- pects with account taken of the events developing in Belarus in 2020–2021. Considering the activities of the Union State of Russia and Belarus, the author summarises two key historical periods in the association functioning and gives their analytical characteristics. The paper focuses on the main integration achievements of cooperation in spheres of the economy (interstate trade, mutual investments, joint ventures, industrial and high tech cooperation, cus- toms policy), defence (organising a common defence space, mutual armament supplies, manoeuvres), science and culture. The author also studies numerous issues that arise from time to time in the relations between the Russian Feder- ation and the Republic of Belarus (energy disputes, the Dairy and Meat Wars, etc.). Finally, the paper contains a detailed analysis of the development scena- rios for the Russia-Belarus relations on the immediate and mid-term horizons.

ASSOCIATION “BUSINESS CENTRE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF INDEPENDENT STATES”. THE MAIN MILESTONES OF INTERNATIONAL INTEGRATION COOPERATION

The article covers the activities of the Association called Business Centre for Economic Development of the Commonwealth of Independent States. The author examines in detail the twenty-year history of this organisation, its creation, goals and objectives, features of the structure, participants and partners, and the formation of competence areas. The article emphasises that over the years of its existence, the Association has become an important and effective platform for interaction among business structures, industry associations, banking and financial institutions, entrepreneurs, the expert and scientific community as well as the media of the Commonwealth countries. Considering the Association’s key areas and forms of activity the author highlights the annual International Economic Forums involving business leaders of the Commonwealth member states, which contribute to the strengthening and development of multilateral economic relations in the post-Soviet space. The article examines in great detail the work of each Forum, its participants (both individuals and legal entities), the topics of discussions and speeches of individual speakers from various Commonwealth countries, which, in the author’s opinion, are of crucial importance for the activities of the Association called Business Centre for Economic Development of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the entire Commonwealth, as well as for the development of Eurasian integration. In addition, the article focuses on the final documents of the Forums: the author studies their main provisions with the set up in them goals, tasks, proposals and priorities.

NECESSITY, FEASIBILITY, AND CHOICE OF WAY OF INTEGRATING THE GREATER EURASIAN PARTNERSHIP AND THE INITIATIVE CALLED “ONE BELT, ONE PATH”

The article covers the combination of two large-scale integration projects, the Great Eurasian Partnership (Russian Federation) and the initiative called One Belt, One Path (People’s Republic of China). Following the joint statement of the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation dated 5 June 2019, which sets out the fundamental provisions of a comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction between the two countries, the author states that the cooperation between Russia and China is conditioned by a number of the political, economic, cultural, and geographical factors; that it can bring tangible benefits not only to Moscow and Beijing, but to almost the entire Eurasian continent, as well as stabilise the global situation. However, in the process of their interaction Russia and China constantly encounter various obstacles, which manifest themselves at the bilateral, regional, and global levels and significantly slow down the implementation of joint projects, which are mutually beneficial. In this work, the author proves that the cumulative intensifying effect on the cooperation between Russia and China can be provided by the strategy of “pairing” integration projects of Russia and China, which the parties have been implementing quite consistently and steadily since 2014.

FORMATION OF THE MOLDOVAN LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT SYSTEM IN THE CONTEXT OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION (1990S)

The article considers the process of formation of the institutional and legal framework for the local self-government system in the Republic of Moldova. Chronologically, the study covers the first decade after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The author places the formation of the national local self-government system in the context of the European vector of Moldovan foreign policy, analysing the process (especially the implementation of the so- called “decentralization reform”) from the perspective of Moldova’s interaction with the European Union and the Council of Europe. The theories of formal structure and social imitation provide the conceptual framework for the study. The author briefly describes the Soviet self-government system, the gradual abandonment of which was the essence of the reforms of the 1990s, and touches upon the organization of self-governance according to the Anglo-Sax- on and Continental models and the modern systems of self-governance existing in the European Union, to which the Republic of Moldova aspires to become a member. The article consecutively analyses the stages of work of Moldovan legislators aimed at the formation of local authorities, evaluating its results both in terms of compliance with European norms and principles of local self-government organization and in the context of the national ethno-political, institutional and legal, civil and political specificity. According to the author’s hypothesis, the Republic of Moldova builds a system of local self-government by introducing elements of its institutional environment (European principles of regionalization and deconcentration) into its formal structures, but proceeds not so much from their compliance with specific goals and objectives of the Moldovan state, its political, economic and sociocultural specificities, as from their symbolic weight and ability to legitimize Moldova on the international scene as a state successfully undergoing a democratic transition.

UNDER THE SIGN OF SCARLET POPPY. THE MEMORY OF THE GREAT VICTORY WITHIN THE ONLINE EXHIBITIONS BY THE UKRAINIAN ARCHIVES

The article covers the issue of displaying archival documents on the Internet as part of the anniversary events timed to the anniversary of the Victory over Nazism which took place in 1945. The authors focus on exhibitions by the Ukrainian central state archives and use them to analyse the role of the modern archival institution as an object and subject of politics of memory and as a collec - tive memory institution that somewhat historicizes the past events (in this case, these events are the Second World War and the Great Patriotic War, beginning and final victory in them) through preserved and exhibited historical documents. The authors provide insight into the structure and concept of each exhibition and try to understand the exposition chronography, symbols and nomenclature which were used to prepare a particular exhibition. The authors of the publication pay special attention to the floral symbols of the expositions (the scarlet poppy or Remembrance poppy in particular). The analysis of its use cases within the exposition devoted to the Great Patriotic War and World War 2 and the dates associated with them has special place in the paper. The authors emphasize the historical, political and symbolic significance of the war “beginning” and “end” as valuable elements of the modern Ukrainian historical narrative.

THE EASTERN PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM IN THE POST-COVID PERIOD. KEY FEATURES AND FUTURE PROSPECTS

The article is dedicated to the analysis of the European Union’s Eastern Partnership program in the post-COVID period. It considers the main features of that program in modern conditions and further prospects for its de- velopment, taking into account the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for the European Union and the countries participating in this program. The author analyzes the EU leadership attitude to the individual participants of the program and identifies priorities in relation to the various countries represen- ted in it. To overcome the social and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Commission decided to provide financial assistance to the participating countries, but the amount of the assistance for individual countries depended on the state of relations between the European Union and the leadership of those countries. It is proved in the article that the European Union currently has the most favorable relations with three countries parti- cipating in the program: Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, which have openly declared a policy of rapprochement with the European Union in the political and economic fields. The author outlines positions of all the countries and their expectations of participating in the program in the nearest future as well as in the longer term.