Аннотация
The article examines the impact of C5+ formats on the regional subjectivity of Central Asia. It argues that, in 2019–2025, the interaction of the Central Asian states with external partners evolved from relatively flexible dialogue arrangements into more structured summit-level platforms. The study proceeds from the assumption that these formats should be assessed not only in terms of their diplomatic visibility, but also through their capacity to shape patterns of coordination within the region itself. The analysis shows that C5+ mechanisms expand opportunities for Central Asia by enhancing the region’s international visibility, encouraging the coordination of positions, widening the room for multivector foreign-policy maneuver, and contributing to the accumulation of collective action practices. At the same time, their effects remain uneven and constrained. The potential of these formats is limited by asymmetries of financial, political, and institutional resources between the region and external actors, by differences in the national interests and foreign-policy priorities of the Central Asian states, and by the persistence of a sovereignty-sensitive model of regionalization that restrains deeper institutional commitments. The article therefore interprets C5+ formats as an important, yet not universal, mechanism for strengthening Central Asia’s regional subjectivity. Their significance lies less in producing rapid institutional integration than in creating conditions for incremental coordination, practical learning, and the gradual consolidation of the region as a recognizable participant in international relations. The article also emphasizes that these mechanisms do not replace internal regionalization, but rather interact with it in a selective and ambivalent manner shaped by broader geopolitical competition. This is especially important for a region avoiding supranational integration.