["My friend invited me to visit him in the new country he moved to, but I've heard such bad things about it that I'm afraid to go, and I keep putting it off.", 'I would be careful. There is a lot of unrest in the world right now.', "That's what I'm thinking. But how do I say that to him without coming off ignorant and offensive?"]
I would just have a heart to heart with him. I guess I would be honest. You want to please him but you have to take care of yourself, too.
I was invited to go to Turkey recently by a friend, but I still haven't gotten back to him because I've heard such bad things about the political situation there right now.