Earlier in the day, the French National Assembly passed a resolution to lift sanctions against Russia. Out of the 101 lawmakers present, 55 voted in favor of the resolution, 44 against and 2 people abstained.
"No, there is no quorum. There can be 100 or 200 members, it doesn't matter. Lawmakers who are present at the National Assembly get to vote and a resolution is passed in accordance with votes it collects," Lambert told Sputnik.
"The resolution was accepted by the majority, and that's most important," Lambert said.
Nonetheless, the resolution "expressed the will of the parliament and that will was clear," Lambert said.
Now with the parliament passing the resolution, the government will have to discuss the issue within the next few weeks.
"France's vote on the matter is clear. It's against the sanctions and now the government needs to meet within weeks to discuss sanctions against Russia," another French lawmaker, Thierry Mariani, told Sputnik earlier today.
Mariani, a member of the Union for a Popular Movement Party, also warned that if the government fails to recognize the resolution, the Hollande administration will suffer the "worst" political backlash.
As for Lambert, he hopes that the sanctions will be lifted soon.
"Personally, I hope France will vote for the lifting of the sanctions and it will then convince its [European] partners to do the same," Lambert told Sputnik.
Relations between Russia and the EU went downhill in 2014, when Brussels joined Washington in accusing Moscow of fueling the Ukrainian crisis and imposed several rounds of sanctions as a punitive measure.
The Russian authorities have refuted the allegations, warning that the Western sanctions are counterproductive and taking restrictive economic measures in response.
The next EU leaders summit is scheduled for June 28-29. Extending the EU economic sanctions against Russia, which are due to expire in July, is likely to be on the summit's agenda.
