World Press on Iran, Turkey and the Caucasus (April 5, 2012)

Today the Guardian published an exhaustive article on a series of attacks on US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul. In the past eight days, the US ambassador to Russia has been harassed by state media, called arrogant by his host country's foreign minister and had guests accosted outside his home by the Kremlin youth group Nashi, the author of the article, The Guardian's correspondent in Moscow Miriam Elder says. According to her, these attacks raise questions about prospects for relations under Putin's presidency, as tensions between the two countries are becoming excessive.

The Washington Post published an article devoted to the current political situation in Iran and the crisis unfolding over the country's nuclear programme. The article was published right after the head of an influential foreign policy committee in Iran’s parliament said the country does not want Turkey to host talks with world powers over Tehran’s nuclear programme. "A decades-old debate within Iran’s clerical leadership over the wisdom of seeking better relations with the U.S. resurfaced in the media. This suggests that although the hard-liners appear to be in the ascendant in directing Iranian foreign policy and crafting the country’s defiant response to Western pressure, doubts remain among key clerics," the article reads.

Hurriyet published an article by Mehmet Ali Birand headlined 'Trial of Sept 12 coup a success for democracy'. According to the author the trial is a historic event that shows how far Turkey has gone in its democratic development. "A fresh page has been turned in this country’s recent history, and do not take this phrase just as an oft-cited cliché," Birand says. "For the generation that has lived through the last 50 years in expectation of a coup d’état, the scene in the courtroom was unbelievable. The mentality that shattered democracy through a coup, tortured people, and executed youngsters was on trial (...) May it take as long as it takes: Regardless of the results, this case represents a success for democracy."