ANKARA, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said Wednesday Turkey is aimed to enhance relations with Russia to make it a "multidimensional and intensified partnership."

    Babacan made the remarks at a joint news conference with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov following their meeting in the Turkish capital of Ankara.

    "Our objective for Turkey-Russia relations is a multidimensional and intensified partnership," he said, noting that both sides have the willingness to further improve bilateral relations as they "have considerable affinities in their approaches regarding international and regional issues."

    Babacan underlined economic relations between the two countries, saying that "trade volume between Turkey and Russia reached 28 billion U.S. dollars in 2007, making Russia the second biggest trade partner of Turkey."

    Turkish investment in Russia surpassed 6 billion dollars last year while Russian investment in Turkey amounted to 4 billion dollars, he said, adding that "more than 2.5 million Russian people visited Turkey" in 2007.

    For his part, Lavrov reaffirmed that his country firmly opposes U.S. plans to set up missile defense sites in Europe would also bring risk besides security.

    There was no change in Russia's approach to the U.S. plan to set up a missile base in Poland and a related radar in the Czech Republic, he said.

    Lavrov, who arrived in Ankara on Tuesday, reiterated Russia's commitment to supporting the peace process regarding the Cyprus issue.

    Lavrov also thanked the Turkish government for erecting a monument in Gelibolu peninsula in northwestern Turkey out of respect to soldiers of Russian Tsar Nicolai II who took shelter in Turkey during the civil war in 1920-1921.