Counterproductive Anti-Russia Sanctions to be Prolonged – French Politician

Former French Transport Minister and current member of parliament Thierry Mariani called the anti-Russia sanctions unjust and counterproductive, but suggested that they will remain in force.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, a delegation of French parliamentarians headed by Thierry Mariani met with the Speaker of the Russian lower parliamentary house, Sergei Naryshkin.

"Sanctions are unfair and counterproductive. We have seen no countries in history that would change their position because of sanctions," the French lawmaker said.

Mariani added that he pessimistically suspected that the sanctions would be extended.

The French delegation is scheduled to travel to Crimea on Thursday afternoon to meet local officials in the cities of Yalta, Sevastopol and Simferopol.

According to Naryshkin, the visit of the French representatives is a good sign for the Russian-French relations.

The French lawmakers said their decision to make the trip to Crimea was based on the desire to find out what is really happening in the peninsula. Both the French and Ukrainian governments have condemned the decision, considering it a breach of international law.

The Crimea peninsula split from Ukraine to rejoin Russia in March 2014 after a referendum in which 96 percent voted in favor of the secession.