Polish border guards have detained a French man for attempting to smuggle his Russian wife in a suitcase into Poland from Belarus.

Officials in Poland said the incident occurred on March 13.

A senior Russian lawmaker saw the incident as an occasion to praise Russian-French relations and criticize Poland.

Aleksei Pushkov, chairman of the Russian Duma's International Affairs Committee, told a parliament session on March 16, "This is a sign that the strategic partnership between Russia and France has great prospects."

"But the couple was detained by the Polish border guards. Again, all the problems are from them," he added.

Pushkov said that the detained couple may face up to three years in jail.

He jokingly condemned Polish authorities, saying that they turn a blind eye to many smugglers, but "smuggling a wife in a suitcase is banned."

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksei Meshkov, who attended the session, said, "We can return [the Russian woman] along with the suitcase."

Based on reporting by Interfax and RIA