From the 19th to the 21st of November, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Russia H. E. Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka participated in the Conference on Greater Eurasia and the first International Conference on "Globalization in Contemporary Asia" held back-to-back at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) in Moscow, at the invitation of Dr. Sergey Karaganov, Dean of the HSE Faculty of the World Economy and International Affairs.

The Higher School of Economics has taken a leading role in the development of the concept of Greater Eurasia which is now accepted as policy at the highest level of the Russian State. This conference was organized on November 19, 2019 as an initiative to explore the views of experts of the countries of the region in taking it forward.
The Conference on Globalization brought together more than 120 guests among whom were distinguished Russian and foreign academicians, scientists, leading experts in the field of regional and oriental studies, senior government officials, as well as Heads of Foreign Diplomatic Missions accredited in Russia. Representatives from Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Iran, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Pakistan, Serbia, Turkey, South Korea and from Russian regions such as Vladivostok, Irkutsk, St. Petersburg, Saratov, Ulan-Ude, Khabarovsk gathered to discuss topical issues and exchange their opinions on socio-economic and political processes in Asian countries.
HSE Rector Yaroslav Kuzminov welcomed the audience and spoke about the modern world with its growing interest in the regional and oriental studies and dynamically developing Asian countries becoming major players in the international arena. The introduction was followed by the speeches of HSE Vice-Rector Ivan Prostakov, Dean of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs Dr. Sergey Karaganov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran H. E. Dr. Seyed Mohammad Kazem Sajjad Pour, and First-Class State Advisor to the Russian Federation, Head of HSE Middle East and North Africa Research Sector H.E. Andrey Baklanov, Director of the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Science (RAS) Prof. Sergey Luzyanin and Research Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies, RAS Academician Vitaliy Naumkin.
One of the key speakers was Maria Khodynskaya-Golenishcheva, Senior Advisor of the Russian Foreign Ministry (Department of Foreign Policy Planning) and negotiator on Syria, who made report on the current situation in Syria and lessons learned from the Syrian war not to ignore regional players and their strategic interests while negotiating peace.
The conference discussed several important topics including 'Middle East. Global and regional actors: issues of interaction in resolving conflicts and crisis situations', 'Iran in the Middle East interior', 'Issues of Interaction in Solving Conflicts with Special Focus on South Asia and Regional Conflict Negotiations', 'South Asia in the light of current global trends'.
There were many expert roundtables including on China moderated by Prof. V. Malyavin, Russian expert on contemporary China, with Ma Yinmao, Associate Professor, Institute of Philosophy, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences as the key speaker, and an Open Seminar on Russia-Iran relations with lecture delivered by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, H. E. Dr. Seyed Mohammad Kazem Sajjad Pour.

Ambassador Jayatilleka with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran H. E. Dr. Seyed Mohammad Kazem Sajjad Pour

Ambassador Jayatilleka at the open seminar on Iranian-Russian relations together with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran H. E. Dr. Seyed Mohammad Kazem Sajjad Pour at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow

 Sri Lankan Ambassador to Russia H. E. Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka at the HSE Conference on Greater Eurasia, November 19, 2019