Traditions and continuity in organisational and legal support of the Russian state foreign policy in the 19<sup>th</sup> - early 20<sup>th</sup> century
The article analyses the foreign policy of the Russian Empire and its legal and organisational components. The author identifies and characterizes the following organisational and legal traditions arising during the pre-revolutionary period: active participation of the Russian state in international relations on an equal footing with the European states; direct participation in the formation of international law; active development of the Eastern direction, interaction with underdeveloped states and, therefore, wide-range foreign activities; active participation in international associations and responsibility for maintaining peace and security; centralization and specialization of foreign policy management, as well as training and selection for service within the foreign policy department; formation of a traditional model of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and international institutions of interstate communication; formation of a traditional system of international law sources and implementation of them; intersystem reception.