On February 13, 2019 Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Sri Lanka to the Russian Federation H.E. Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka and Madame Sanja Jayatilleka called on Professor Sergey Karaganov, Dean and Academic Supervisor of World Economy and Foreign Affairs School, Member of the Higher School of Economics Academic Council. Doctor in World History, Institute of USA and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Prof.  Karaganov is an Honorary Chairman of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy and a Chairman of the Valdai Discussion Club..

In the mid-90s Prof. Karaganov was named by New York Times (USA) one of the top world foreign policy specialists and now ranks among the world's top 100 public intellectuals, according to the ranking (2005) by the leading analytical magazines Foreign Policy (USA) and The Prospect (UK). Prof. Karaganov is the only intellectual from the former Soviet Union listed in the 2005 Global Intellectuals Poll, and only one of four, with Pavol Demeš, Václav Havel and Slavoj Žižek, from Eastern Europe.

Ambassador Jayatilleka and Professor Karaganov spoke extensively about the political and intellectual situation in the world today and the direction in which the complex global situation is evolving.

Prof. Karaganov invited Ambassador Jayatilleka to participate in an academic Seminar as a speaker which would be organized by the School of World Economy and Foreign Affairs. Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka said it would be an honour to accept.