MOSCOW. April 2 (Interfax) - Russia will respond to NATO expansion, but its response will not be like that of a "hurt child," said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

"The attempts to expand NATO are artificial and absolutely not needed. They will not make the efforts to fight the modern challenges more effective, I assure you. But we will react in a pragmatic matter, not like little boys who get hurt, slam the door and run away," Lavrov said at a meeting in the State Duma on Wednesday.

"I am convinced that we are in the middle of a transition period of international relations, a period of transition from a Cold War-era conflict of blocs. We have realized, probably before many, if not everyone, what our real interests are, which are based on our real possibilities in the modern world, when bloc logic won't do because no problem can be solved within just one bloc, even if this bloc is expanding on the basis of the bloc expansion logic. As to solving any problem, which is currently being declared by NATO members, for example, the fight against terrorism, drug trafficking, cyberterrorism, Afghanistan - they cannot do without us. And we are prepared to invest our possibilities in those areas where our interests match the interests of our partners," Lavrov said.

Russia must focus on increasing its economic power and ensure its defense potential at the highest technological level, Lavrov said.