Blic reported that Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic avoided to sign a document to that effect and that it was signed by one of his assistants and forwarded to President Tomislav Nikolic's office.
The position that Serbia should be represented by veterans and not the military "has been recommended because of the crisis in US-EU-Russia relations," Blic quoted an unnamed government source as saying.
The Defence Ministry said on April 6 that the Serbian Army would take part in the Moscow parade commemorating the victory in WWII, under a decision adopted by Nikolic in accordance with his constitutional powers as commander-in-chief.
This decision has divided politicians and experts in Serbia. Some say Serbia should take part in the parade "because it's part of the legacy of the fight against fascism," while others claim the army should not be sent to Moscow because by doing so "Serbia would take Russia's side," given that not even European Union member states, many of which also fought against Nazism, are sending their armies.
In March, Nikolic dismissed the suggestion by Member of the European Parliament Eduard Kukan that he should not attend the military parade, saying he would accept Russian President Vladimir Putin's invitation.