Merkel not to join WWII commemoration in Moscow on May 9

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will not take part in the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II on May 9 in Moscow, said German government spokesman Steffen Seibert on Wednesday.

But a day later, Merkel would join Russian President Vladimir Putin to lay a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow, according to Seibert.

The Chancellor wants to commemorate the end of World War II and the liberation from Nazism "in an appropriate and a dignified way," said Seibert, adding that this would be possible through the wreath-laying ceremony on May 10.

Putin has agreed to Merkel's proposal, Seibert said.

Russia will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany on May 9 with a parade.

Gerhard Schroeder attended the military parade of 2005 as the first German chancellor. Schroeder's predecessor Helmut Kohl traveled in 1995 on the 50th anniversary celebration at the invitation of President Boris Yeltsin to Moscow, but had not attended the parade.