Pahor made the decision today following a recommendation by the European Council to senior officials from EU member states not to attend the military parade in Moscow, the president's office said in a press release.

Slovenia will thus be represented by Erjavec, the foreign minister and one of the deputy prime ministers, who will take part in all other commemorative events in observance of the anniversary, except the parade.

Pahor himself will meanwhile attend a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the victory over Nazi-Fascism in Ljubljana on 9 May, organised by the city and the WWII veterans' association.

In the afternoon the same day he will address as the keynote speaker a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII in the north-eastern village of Topolšica.

Together with Russian Ambassador to Slovenia Doku Zavgayev, Pahor will lay a wreath in memory of the fallen Russian soldiers at the victory memorial and a Red Army grave site at the cemetery in Murska Sobota (NE).

Pahor is one of the 68 heads of state to have been invited to the Moscow WWII victory parade, along with the leaders of the UN, Council of Europe, UNESCO and the EU.

So far attendance has been confirmed by some 30 heads of state or government, the Kremlin said on Thursday.

Many leaders have decided to boycott the parade over Russia's role in the Ukraine crisis, including those of the US, UK and France, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel due to visit Moscow a day after the parade.