EU warns candidates not to attend Moscow parade

PanARMENIAN.Net - Countries aspiring to join the European Union have been clearly advised against taking part in the military parade scheduled for May 9 in Moscow. Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže made this statement on Monday, April 14, before a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.

“Yesterday, we already had a busy evening – dinner with our Western Balkan partners... A lot of discussions on values, alignment of foreign and security policy, including sanctions. Including a very clear signal from EU member states to the candidates not to participate in the May 9 parade in Moscow, not to make such trips, because this would not be in line with EU values,” Braže emphasized.

As reported by DW, this stance was also confirmed at a press conference by the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas. “We clearly told the candidates that they should not attend the parade in Moscow on May 9,” Kallas said.

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski added that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, in coordination with him and Kallas, had invited ministers to a meeting in Lviv on May 9. “I think it’s a great idea—to show that Europe is present, in Ukraine, not on Putin’s side in Moscow. I also agree with Kaja Kallas that the presence of any representative of a member or candidate state in Moscow would be a disgrace for that country,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, Russian Ambassador to China Igor Morgulov stated that Chinese President Xi Jinping is planning to visit Moscow on May 9 for celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. “For the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War,” Xi plans to arrive in the Russian capital, Morgulov said on February 10.

Xi previously visited Moscow in March 2023. The last time Xi attended Moscow’s Victory Day parade was in 2015.

Additionally, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK, citing its sources in mid-January, North Korean military personnel are expected to take part in this year’s Moscow parade.