On 22 October 2026, the 1st Russian Scientific and Practical Conference of the Oriental Institute of Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) was held in Vladivostok.
The event was dedicated to the 127th anniversary of the founding of the Oriental Institute – the first institution of higher education in the Russian Far East. It was attended by researchers from Vladivostok, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Yekaterinburg and Stavropol, as well as representatives of China, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and the SCO Secretariat.
Opening the conference, Evgeny Vlasov, Vice-President for International Relations, Director of the Oriental Institute of FEFU, talked about Vladivostok's emergence as a centre of Russia's Oriental studies community.
The plenary session featured presentations by leading Russian Orientalist scholars (Anatoly Kuznetsov, Yana Leksyutina, Artem Lukin, Ivan Zuenko and Marina Kukla) on issues of international relations in East Asia, Northeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.
Siarhei Viarheichyk, Counselor of the SCO Secretariat, took part in a round table themed "Central Asia – Pacific Ocean: Connectivity of a New Level?", that was held on the basis of the Research and Education Centre for Applied Oriental Studies (Centre for Asian Studies of FEFU). He noted the main outcomes of the Bishkek SCO Heads of State Council meeting (1 September 2026) and the Dushanbe SCO Heads of Government Council meeting (20 October 2026). He also emphasised the interrelated tasks facing the Organisation, including enhancing the effectiveness of its activities with a focus on implementing the leaders' decisions, optimising the management system, including the permanently operating bodies, and improving the treaty and legal framework.
Marina Dmitrieva, Deputy Director for Research of the Oriental Institute of FEFU, emphasised the Institute's interest in further developing expert and educational interaction with the Secretariat of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.