(PARIS)- France hopes to reach agreement on a broad E.U. strategic partnership with Russia during its six-month presidency of the European Union later this year, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Tuesday.

"We are very much determined to make a strategic partnership with Russia one of the objectives of the French presidency," said Kouchner during a joint news conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

France takes the helm of the 27-nation European Union in July, with ambitious plans to advance the bloc's agenda on security and other issues.

Kouchner stressed that while the European Union and Russia could have divergent views on issues such as the independence of the Serbian province of Kosovo, they could still cooperate.

"We will work together on that during the French presidency and we have no doubt that we will succeed," said Kouchner of the proposed new partnership.

Ties with Russia have also been strained over Moscow's assertive energy policy and questions over the Kremlin's commitment to democracy and human rights.

Making his first visit to Paris since the election of Dmitry Medvedev to the Russian presidency, Lavrov said Moscow was hoping for a stronger Franco-Russian relationship.

Lavrov said it was important that the European Union and Russia to have "as soon as possible a legal basis for cooperation", noting that Russia had already reached such an agreement with NATO.

"President Nicolas Sarkozy's ideas on the future architecture of European security are very appealing," said Lavrov.

These proposals "take into account the role played by Russia in the geostrategic, political and military balance of the world," he added.

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