"We believe that the ceremony should be attended by the leaders of all allied countries, including our most senior officials," Tit Turnsek, president of the Slovenian Federation of Associations of National Liberation War Fighters (SUBNOR), which continues the tradition of WWII Partisan fighters and anti-fascists, told Slovenian Television, adding that Pahor should not boycott the Moscow commemoration as has been done by many other state leaders over Russia's annexation of Crimea and the Ukraine crisis.
"We could read that the Czech president rejected a Western country's dictate and we expect our representatives to act similarly," said Turnsek, alluding to Czech President Milos Zeman's refusal of advice from the US ambassador to Prague not to travel to Moscow for the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the victory over fascism.
Along with Slovenian anti-fascist veterans, also invited to the Moscow commemoration has been Slovenian President Pahor, but his office has said that a decision on the matter has not been made yet and that the public will be informed about it in due course.
The Slovenian foreign ministry is reportedly disinclined to Pahor's possible visit to Moscow, the Slovenian media have reported.
Despite the EU's reservations regarding contacts with Russian politicians over the Ukraine crisis and the EU's economic embargo against Russia, Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar recently invited his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev to visit Slovenia this summer for a traditional commemoration on Mt Vrsic, where a large number of Russian prisoners of war were killed in an avalanche in World War I while building a road there. The commemoration provides an opportunity for Slovenian-Russian contacts at many levels, and it is usually attended by members of the Russian parliament.