Revisiting paradiplomacy as a tool for regional development

The article analyses the category of "regional paradiplomacy" aiming to show how the resources of the external regional environment are used by subnational authorities and other actors for socio-economic and cultural development. To this end, an analysis of different forms and instruments of regional paradiplomacy - internationalization, transnationalization and cross-border cooperation - is conducted from the theoretical and empirical perspectives. Forms of regional paradiplomacy are illustrated with an example of the Republic of Karelia. Based on the study of paradiplomatic activities of the border region, the author concludes that not all forms of "communication" with the external environment are used by regional actors in effective way. It is argued that in order to create a "learning region", which would meet the requirements of global politics and the global economy, more attention should be paid to cooperation with international governmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as with foreign states and sub-state actors in Europe.