On March 6, 2019 Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to the Russian Federation H.E. Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka and Madame Sanja Jayatilleka paid a courtesy call on Vyacheslav Nikonov, Doctor in History and Chair of the Committee for Education & Science, who received the guests at his office at the State Duma of the Russian Federation. Dr. Nikonov is the grandson and the biographer of Vyacheslav Molotov, prominent "Old Bolshevik" and Soviet Foreign Minister under Joseph Stalin from 1939—1949 and post-Stalin in 1953—1956.
Dr. Nikonov has been heading the School of Public Administration at Moscow State University, and the Russian World Foundation established by Vladimir Putin to promote Russian language and culture internationally. He is an author of number of books on Russian history and a well-known commentator on national policy & global affairs.
Ambassador Jayatilleka and Dr. Nikonov had discussion on the main ideas in Russian history and the current world geopolitical situation from 1960 to date. As the Duma representative of Nizhniy Novgorod, the region which contains Russia's nuclear weapons manufacturing industry, Dr. Nikonov confirmed President Putin's recent statement that Russia has an impregnable nuclear 'second strike capability' which thereby guarantees strategic stability.