 Sergei Karaganov, welcome. You're a dean of the School of Economic and Foreign Affairs in Russia and a foremost expert on Russian foreign policy. So tell me, what is Russia's foreign policy towards Syria and how do you see a Syrian solution? Russian foreign policy towards Syria is a strategic one. We understand that the Middle East is going through a long period of destabilization and we have to confront the problem either there or it will have to confront the problem here that is in Russia or nearby or like people are confronting it in Europe. So we would better play the game there and probably even steer the development though it is very hard rather than way to be victims. The second is of course Russia wants to be a grand power. I mean it is in our DNA for better or for worse so it is it proves that it could. I think several people several countries now are welcome that you're a player again in this. But what about Ukraine whereas where you had lots of objections from the West? Well we have a lot of objections from the West but I mean the main the main reason why we did what we did in Ukraine was to teach our Western partners now partners former friends future friends again I mean a lesson how to behave and how to respect Russian interests we have been telling them do not expand anymore they expanded or try to expand we stop that Do you think the lesson has been learned? And lesson is being learned it's a very difficult process for our partners and future friends. You're a regular attendee at the WPC the World Policy Conference. What do you get out of it? I'm here from the beginning first-class people now sometimes absolutely new things and also unusual crowd they are bringing in they were stopped first to bring people from Asia now they have been bringing people from Africa and that's why you see the world from a different direction. Thank you very much indeed.