World Press on Iran, Turkey and the Caucasus (May 11, 2011)

The Washington Post published an article headlined “Egypt’s new foreign policy”. According to the author, is still ruled by its military and is months away from electing a democratic government, and its foreign policy already has undergone a remarkable change. This is evident due to the fact that Cairo is going end the previous regime’s blockade of the Gaza Strip and move toward normalizing relations with Iran. Egypt’s new political course will affect the balance of power in the whole region, thinks the author.

The Guardian published an article devoted to the case of the two US hikers imprisoned in Iran. Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, who were arrested in 2009 after entering country from Iraq, were charged with espionage. According to the Americans, they entered the territory of Iran by mistake as there were no special signs. Under Iran's Islamic law, espionage can be punished by execution. The USA urged Iran to resolve the case immediately, eventually the trial was postponed.

The Moscow Times published an article by Paul Rimple devoted to the recent decision of the European Court of Human Rights that found Georgia guilty of human rights violations in regards to the high-profile murder case of Tbilisi banker Sandro Girgvliani. Georgian authorities denied the charges, but eventually the Court decided that there is enough evidences proving the administration’s guilt.

Turkey’s Hurriyet published an article by Yusuf Kanli headlined “Election predictions”. It’s still not clear whether independent candidates connected with the opposition pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party will be able to enter the parliament, but it’s already evident, that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is losing its popularity. According to Yusuf Kanli, AKP will raise 45-46 per cent of all votes with main opposition party Republican People’s Party may raise 33 per cent. That means that Erdogan’s plan to get over 50 per cent of the votes for his AKP party failed.