The Master thesis is dealing with the external policies of the Republic of Tatarstan, a unit of the Russian Federation, and its relations to Turkey, a nation Tatarstan has cultural ties to, in light of the Russo-Turkish conflict following the shooting down of the Russian fighter jet Su-24 by the Turkish army. To answer questions about the influence of national diplomacy over a region's paradiplomacy, and the possibility to conduct independent paradiplomacy in an authoritarian state, speeches given on topics related to Turkey by the President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov were analysed against the background of the changing Russian relations to Turkey, using the Critical Discourse Analysis. The analysis revealed that although Tatarstani paradiplomacy reflects the developments of Russian diplomacy - it is not possible not to, since the decisions of the Federal government are binding for its subjects - President Minnikhanov continued to advocate for a long-term (and as close as possible) cooperation with Turkey regardless of Moscow's current stance. In fact, he was lobbying the Kremlin for this end, trying to influence the Federal diplomacy.