PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AS A FACTOR IN STRENGTHENING INTERETHNIC RELATIONS IN THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN

Abstract

This article examines the institutional development of public diplomacy as a mechanism for strengthening interethnic harmony and social cohesion in the Republic of Uzbekistan. The study aims to analyse the evolution of state policy in the field of interethnic relations, identify the role of public diplomacy institutions in promoting interethnic harmony, and develop an integrated institutional model of public diplomacy. The research employs institutional analysis, comparative legal analysis, qualitative policy analysis, and the examination of legislative and strategic documents. The findings demonstrate that Uzbekistan's contemporary public diplomacy model represents an integrated system combining constitutional and legal foundations, state institutions, civil society organisations, cultural institutions, and international humanitarian cooperation. The scientific contribution of the study lies in the development of the Integrated Institutional Model of Public Diplomacy, which integrates normative, institutional, socio-cultural, and international humanitarian dimensions within a unified conceptual framework. The proposed model may serve as a theoretical and practical basis for improving public policy in the sphere of interethnic relations and expanding international humanitarian cooperation.