French Children Visit to Crimea Important, Chance to See Region as Safe – MP

The trip by French children who have recently arrived in the Artek children’s summer camp in Russia's Crimea is important as it will offer them the chance to see for themselves that the region is safe and beautiful, contrary to how it is portrayed in the West, French lawmaker Thierry Mariani told Sputnik Wednesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — With the support of Russia's Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Education and Science, a group of 22 children aged between 11 and 16 years, arrived in Artek on August 8 and is set to leave on Saturday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued earlier on Wednesday.

"Crimea is a good vacation spot. In my opinion the peninsula is a beautiful and safe place. This trip is important. I am sure that French kids will come to the same conclusion after their stay in Russia's Crimea as the French members of parliament — that the region is safe and beautiful, contrary to what the West says," Mariani, who led a delegation of French lawmakers who visited the peninsula in July to meet with local officials and residents despite European criticism, said.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the organizers of the vacation have experienced strong pressure, exerted through the Ukrainian lobby in France.

"Opposition from Ukrainian lobbyists is an attempt to create drama around Crimea and it is unjust," the lawmaker said, commenting on lobbyists' reaction to the visit.

In total, over 60 delegations from dozens of countries have visited the southwestern Russian region of Crimea this year, including ones from Italy, Jordan and many other nations, defying Western restrictions. The French delegation of lawmakers led by Mariani visited Crimea twice, first in July 2015 and in the same month the following year.

The historical southern region of Crimea joined Russia after a 2014 referendum in which over 96 percent of the Crimean population voted in favor of the move.