Russian and Chinese Soft Power in North Macedonia

Institutional Activities of the Confucius Institute and Fond Russkiy Mir

Abstrakt

The Balkans, in the past and in present times, has always been of interest to the great powers, aiming at expanding their influence and presence. With this in consideration, the region became a terrain in which the presence of the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation was also felt. North Macedonia is no exception in this regard, as a country that occupies an important position in the Balkans. The aim of the article is to evaluate Russian and Chinese soft power in the North Macedonia, namely a comparative look at the institutional activities of Confucius Institute and Russkiy Mir, ‘Ruski Centar’, which have been operating in this country for many years as a means of spreading Chinese and Russian culture and language. During the preparation of this research the ‘qualitative method’ was used, i.e. secondary sources (relevant Russian government sources and documents), although the historical, descriptive, comparative, and other methods have not been left aside.