Mechanisms of Diplomatic Support for the Development of Cross-Border Construction Projects in the National Interests of Russia

This article examines a set of international legal and domestic public-law mechanisms of diplomatic and consular support applied to promote national construction contractors and to protect the infrastructure interests of the Russian Federation in the implementation of cross-border construction projects. The core problem addressed in the study is the declining competitiveness of Russian construction companies in foreign markets, caused not only by commercial factors but also by the insufficient integration of instruments of the law of external relations into the practical support of tenders, financing, negotiations, and contract performance. The purpose of the research is to identify and legally substantiate a set of instruments suitable for institutionalization within the activities of diplomatic missions and consular offices, including mechanisms implemented within the BRICS framework and cooperation with the New Development Bank. The study addresses issues of contractual guarantees, compliance with the principle of non-intervention, standardization of project support procedures, and the formation of state reputational responsibility for the quality of external support provided to national companies. The methodology is based on historical-legal and formal-legal analysis of diplomatic and consular law, comparative legal assessment of Russian and Chinese practices, and legal modeling aimed at developing ten applied mechanisms of diplomatic support. The main conclusion is that diplomatic and consular support functions as an instrument for the exercise of the sovereign right of the state to protect its national interests in cross-border construction activities. The proposed mechanisms contribute to reducing legal and political risks, ensuring access to financing, protecting the business reputation of national contractors, and forming a predictable external economic environment aligned with state policy priorities. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the development of a public-law model for supporting cross-border construction projects, in which international standards and compliance mechanisms are applied only insofar as they do not undermine state sovereignty and remain consistent with the national interests of the Russian Federation.