MOSCOW, September 1. /TASS/. The Western countries' course of strategically defeating Russia will not disappear in the foreseeable future, and all calculations that the relations between Russia and the West will return to where they were are "built on sand," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a meeting with students and teachers of the MGIMO university.

"The calculations of those who lament the collapse of our relations with Western counterparts that everything will someday return to the previous state of affairs are built on sand. The West's line, the course that was proclaimed with the aim of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia will not disappear in the foreseeable future. We understand this perfectly well," Lavrov said.

He also emphasized that if "suddenly, by some mysterious orders from on high," the West invites Russia "to return to more or less normal relations," Moscow will give thought to whether it is worth doing so and if yes, then in what areas.

"We will not go for interaction with the West in those areas on which our security in all senses depends," Lavrov pointed out.

The experience of the past 30 years, he recalled, has proved that the West "will abuse all the agreements that have been reached without hesitation at any moment when it wants to hamstring competitors."

"None of the fundamental agreements that have been concluded with the West after 1991 have been fulfilled. Not a single one," Lavrov said. "That's why we can't take their word for it. Nor can we trust the signatures that the West puts to numerous documents."

Lavrov also added that sanctions by Western countries obviously created difficulties for Russia, "and no one can question that."

"But the government led by the president regularly holds meetings on certain sectoral issues related to the country's economic development and it has been doing its utmost [to overcome the difficulties]. And these efforts are yielding positive results," Lavrov pointed out.

He recalled that new projects were being implemented to link Russia more closely with those countries whose decency and reliability as partners aroused no doubts in Moscow.

"First and foremost, this applies to our eastern and southern neighbors," Lavrov noted. In particular, he mentioned cooperation with India, Iran, China, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and African countries.

"These plans are concrete. They are realistic. And they are already yielding results that are impressive in terms of trade turnover, investment and contacts in other areas, including culture, humanitarian relations and sports," Lavrov said.