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French foreign minister says will attend Moscow Victory Day celebrations

The foreign minister said he will not be present at the parade on the Red Square but will take part in a wreath laying ceremony and attend a reception in the Kremlin
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius EPA/MARKUS SCHREIBER/POOL
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius
© EPA/MARKUS SCHREIBER/POOL

PARIS, May 6. /TASS/. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told Europe-1 radio station on Wednesday he is due to take part in Moscow’s celebrations of the 70th anniversary of Victory over Nazi Germany.

"French President Francois Hollande will not be able to be present at the celebrations in Moscow as he will be paying visit to Cuba. However, France will be represented at the ministerial level," Fabius said.

The foreign minister said he will not be present at the parade on the Red Square but will take part in a wreath laying ceremony and attend a reception in the Kremlin.

"Historic events must not be disregarded. It should be taken into consideration that France is playing an important role in the effort of settling the situation in Ukraine by having negotiations, including with the Russian side," Fabius said.

"That’s why one cannot come to participate in talks on the one hand and later fail to attend other important events," the minister explained.

More than 20 heads of state are due to take part in the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow, Russia's envoy to the EU Vladimir Chizhov told a news conference on Tuesday.

According to the diplomat, five of 28 EU member-countries will be represented by the heads of state. "The leaders of five EU countries - the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Greece and Cyprus - will take part in the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow. Other EU members will be represented at other levels," he said.