In December 2018, Vitaly Naumkin, Academic Director of the Oriental Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and a distinguished Islamologist and political scientist, met with students and faculty of the Kazan Federal University (KFU) for an open discussion. The Q&A session took place shortly after Academician Naumkin was awarded the Order of Friendship, Duslık, for “his substantial input in the implementation of joint educational, scientific and historical and cultural projects” by the president of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov. In addition to emphasising the importance of strengthening lateral ties between Orientalists and Oriental research centres of Russia, Vitaly Naumkin also discussed with the students of the Institute of International Relations some of the pressing issues of international politics, and in particular the global importance of the Oriental factor and the increasing influence of Russia in the East. Here, we publish excerpts from Vitaly Naumkin’s discussion with students and other participants of the session, among which were the editor-in-chief of the journal Pax Islamica Aydar Yu. Khabutdinov and a research fellow of the Institute of Oriental Studies RAS Shamil R. Kashaf.