MOSCOW, October 6. /TASS/. Moscow’s educational and scientific ties with partners in friendly countries are increasingly in demand as interest in such cooperation is growing, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"On behalf of the Foreign Ministry, I can say that we can see a growing interest in direct educational and scientific ties with partners in friendly countries," she pointed out in a video address to participants in the International Tech Science Educational Forum with the participation of BRICS countries.

According to Zakharova, the instruments that for decades were viewed as universal are now used increasingly selectively, depending on the political situation. "Universities are excluded from cooperation programs, academic publications are retracted due to short-term factors and entire countries are cut off from research databases," she noted.

"In such a situation, the search for new ways of cooperation - direct, equal and independent of the political will of others - become a real practical goal and challenge. While the political framework for such cooperation is created at the inter-government level, it is the people - researchers, engineers, entrepreneurs and teachers - that give it content," the diplomat added.

Zakharova pointed out that discussions of cooperation between countries, including BRICS members, at the forum, was a positive factor. "A stable alliance is based on living professional connections, joint projects and mutual trust that take years to build. Diplomacy creates conditions for all this but it cannot replace it," she emphasized.