Greece has condemned reports of vandalism against Greek tourist buses in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), claiming that is the result of anti-Greek rhetoric emanating from the government of the FYROM .
The attack occurred two Sundays ago as the tourists were returning from a sightseeing visit to their coaches which had been spray-painted with the words “Macedonia,” “United Macedonia” and “Alexander the Great.”
Police spokesman Stefan Dimoski in the resort of Ohrid says vandals had spray-painted offensive slogans on three Greek buses. But he denied Greek media reports that rocks were thrown or that there were attacks on Greek tourists.
The mayor of Ohrid sent a letter to Greece’s representative office in Skopje, saying, “We in Ohrid do not discriminate among visitors to our city – everyone is welcome.”
FYROM’s Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski has condemned the incident with the Greek tourist buses, “I regret the incident. It is not something nice and I condemn the people who did it, “ said Gruevski.
Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman Giorgos Koumoutsakos blamed authorities in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia for fueling hostility against Greece following an attack by unidentified assailants on Greek tourists in the southeastern resort of Ohrid.
“Such incidents… are the visible result of the nationalism and bigotry against Greece which has been cultivated by Skopje,” Koumoutsakos said.