Vitaly Naumkin

President of the Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) since 2015; Director in 2009-2015; Deputy Director in 1989-1994. He is Professor, Dr. of Science and Full Member of RAS. He has been serving as Editor-in-chief, Vostok (Oriens) journal since 1998; Professor and Chair of the Faculty of World Politics, Moscow State University since 2003; Professor, High School of Economics, Moscow. He was Member, High Level Group, UN Alliance of Civilizations project in 2005-2007, currently Goodwill Ambassador for the Alliance of Civilizations. He was Visiting Professor, American University in Cairo in 1991, and Visiting Professor, University of California in Berkeley in 2003. From 2016 until now he has been Senior Political Advisor to the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the UN for Syria. Member of the Advisory Council under the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia. Author of more than 500 publications in History, Political Science, International Relations, Conflict Management and Resolution, Islam, Middle East and Central Asian Studies.