Athens yesterday condemned a decision by Skopje to issue a travel warning to its citizens regarding Greece, noting that the neighboring country was “showing its worst side.”

The warning advises citizens of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to avoid visiting major Greek cities due to “the outbreaks (of violence) of the past months.” Athens and Thessaloniki are presented as hubs of instability, with attacks on police and riots a daily occurance. Reacting to the announcement, Foreign Ministry spokesman Giorgos Koumoutsakos noted that just five days earlier FYROM Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki had written to Athens appealing for closer ties. “Now he is intentionally misleading his country’s citizens, urging them not to visit Greece,” he said. “Milososki is clearly confused,” Koumoutsakos said.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis warned Skopje that the road to its accession to the European Union and NATO would remain closed if it continued to antagonize Athens.