Among the last calls that Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka paid to the prominent figures of Russian politics and science was a meeting he had on January 9, 2020 with Professor Ruslan Khasbulatov, Chairman of the Russian Parliament during the turbulent 1993 crisis, and a well-respected scholar, Head of the Chair of International Economy at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics.

Author of dozens of books on the world economy and trade, the man who wrote textbooks on economics that are studied today by students of the top Russian universities, including his alma mater, Moscow State University, Professor Khasbulatov founded the Chair of World Economy at the Plekhanov University in the early1980s, before starting his political career. Plekhanov University was preparing the economists who helped the Soviet Government to develop its five-year plans for the national economy. After his withdrawal from active politics in 1994, Professor Khasbulatov resumed his teaching career at the University, specializing in comparative studies of the world economy.
Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka discussed with his Russian colleague the current state of the world economy, and the traditions of political and economic science in Russia, especially represented by famous Russian realists from Lenin to Primakov. Prof. Khasbulatov noted that more and more people become critical of the capitalist model of economy all over the world, including in Russia, especially the young people. But science needs the support of the state, because not all fields of theoretical studies can bring immediate monetary profits. There is much that needs to be done in that regard, said Prof. Khasbulatov, otherwise young people would just opt to leave the country.
Dr. Jayatilleka and Prof. Khasbulatov exchanged their views on the phenomenon of rise of nationalism and populism in the recent history of the world, which in some instances led to the breaking up of certain countries; ethno-national, ethno-religious questions; and the problem of autonomy versus centralized state. Prof. Khasbulatov underscored that it is very important to keep the balance of powers.
In the conclusion of the meeting Prof. Khasbulatov expressed his desire to see Dr. Jayatilleka within the walls of Plekhanov's University to deliver a lecture to his graduate students, and presented him with several of his books in the English and Russian languages.