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No official invitation to attend celebration of 80th anniversary of Normandy invasion yet

It was earlier reported that France plans to invite Russia to attend the commemorative events in Normandy on June 6

PARIS, April 16. /TASS/. Russia’s embassy in Paris has received no official invitations to take part in the ceremony to celebrate the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy, an embassy spokesperson told TASS.

"As of now, we have received no official invitations from the French side," the spokesperson said.

The Europe 1 radio station said earlier, citing its sources, that France plans to invite Russia to attend the commemorative events in Normandy on June 6.

Commenting on these reports, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin had received no such invitations.

Commemorative events of the Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944, which marked the opening of the second front in Western Europe during World War II, are held every five years and are attended by foreign leaders and veterans.

Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in a ceremony dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the invasion in 2014. During the ceremony, the then French President, Francois Hollande, said that the people of the Soviet Union made a decisive contribution to the victory of the Allies in World War II, and this will never be forgotten. He paid tribute to the bravery of the Red Army, which faced 150 German divisions and was able to fight back and defeat them.

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