MOSCOW, January 23. /TASS/. The list of Moscow's foreign friends in the cultural sphere is steadily growing despite all the intrigues by the West to oust Russia from the international cultural and humanitarian space, Alexander Alimov, the director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department for Multilateral Humanitarian Cooperation and Cultural Relations has said.

"Despite the efforts exerted by the collective West with the aim to oust Russia from the international cultural and humanitarian space, the number of foreign friends who share interest in Russian history and culture has been growing steadily," Alimov said at a round table meeting at the Federation Council devoted to Russia's role in the global humanitarian space.

He underscored the Foreign Ministry’s task of increasing the practical impact of cultural events in friendly countries, as well as support with the available means for Russian humanitarian presence in unfriendly countries "where it is necessary."