Baltic states quarrel over attending celebrations in Moscow

The presidents of Estonia and Lithuania caused a stir when they refused to attend the celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II five years ago in Moscow. Now the countries are discussing whether their leaders should attend the next celebrations five years later. But the daily Latvijas Avīze comments that the situation is now different: "Five years ago there was a real reason for the polemic: President Putin had sent out invitations that could be accepted or rejected. This year neither country has been invited, but that hasn't stopped people from discussing whether we should go. ... The smartest reaction came from Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite, who said she'd first like to see President Medvedev at the celebrations of the 20th anniversary of Lithuania's independence in Vilnius. As it's highly unlikely that the Russian president will go to Lithuania for the occasion, Dalia Grybauskaitė won't have to make an appearance on Red Square either."

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