PARIS, March 29. /TASS/. French parliament member and member of the National Front party Marion Marechal-Le Pen plans to visit Crimea in the near future. While talking to TASS, she said she had received an invitation from member of the Russian State Duma Natalya Poklonskaya and had been looking forward to the visit "with great interest."

"It is time for the West to recognize the Crimean people’s right to self-determination and respect their choice," she stressed. According to the French lawmaker, her visit to Crimea will take place "soon after the presidential election", the second round of which is scheduled to be held on May 7.

Marechal-Le Pen also emphasized the need to lift sanctions against Russia imposed by the European Union in light of the Ukrainian crisis. In 2016, she supported the removal of sanctions during a voting session at the French National Assembly.

However, the French government did not take the lawmakers’ recommendation into account. "The French authorities prefer to further worsen the situation for our agriculture exporters affected by Russia’s reciprocal sanctions," Marechal-Le Pen said. According to her, together with some fellow members of parliament she intends "to insist on lifting sanctions that defy common sense."

While in Crimea, the French politician particularly plans to discuss the possibility to set up a French-Russian vineyard. "We believe that the best French and Russian agriculture experts could contribute to such project," she said. "I think that such a vineyard would be a perfect symbol of friendship between our countries."

Marion Marechal-Le Pen is a granddaughter of National Front founder Jean-Marie Le Pen and niece of current National Front leader and presidential candidate Marine Le Pen. She was elected member of parliament at the age of 22 thus becoming the youngest MP in the modern political history of France.

Marechal-Le Pen represents the National Front in the French parliament’s for foreign affairs commission as well as in the France-Russia Group established by the National Assembly.