Al Monitor Russia looks to Egypt for Mideast foothold Russia's pursuit of new strongholds outside Europe has entered another phase. Previously Moscow was looking for new regional venues where its presence will be welcomed. Now, it seems Russia has not only found them, but has identified critical partners in these regions and is gradually making moves to build up relations with them. In this calculation, Egypt is a pivotal state. Both the symbolism and the details of President Vladimir Putin's two-day visit to Egypt are indeed impressive. The Russian president received a warm welcome in Cairo, saluted by an honor guard while the city itself was decorated with Russian flags and Putin's portraits — a stark contrast to how the Russian elite is treated in the West. Many Russian commentators saw a symbolic gesture to Western states: Russia is anything but isolated, while Europe is no longer the Promised Land for the state that seeks recognition of its global influence. Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/02/russia-egypt-relations-warm.html##ixzz3Rc7iPvMX Mashable The Egyptian government's war on free speech On Thursday, Al Jazeera journalists Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were released on bail after spending more than 400 days in an Egyptian prison on charges of conspiring with the Muslim Brotherhood to destabilize the country. Peter Greste, their Australian colleague, was released on Feb. 1. The trial highlighted how reporting in Egypt has become increasingly difficult and dangerous, especially for local journalists. The crackdown on the press has coincided with a new government taking power. During his political campaign last summer, now-president Abdel Fatah al-Sisi warned Egyptian reporters not to criticize government officials. Since his victory in June, the state has shut down independent TV channels and expanded censorship of newspapers. Then, in October, security officials confiscated all copies of Al-Masry Al-Youm, one of the country's largest dailies, to prevent publication of an expose about Egypt's spy agency. Read more: http://mashable.com/2015/02/12/egypt-sisi-war-on-free-speech/# Today's Zaman Ankara summons Egyptian diplomat after Egypt's accusations on Arabic TV channels The Turkish Foreign Ministry has summoned the chargé d'affaires at the Egyptian Embassy in Ankara, Hussein El-Saharty, over his country's accusations against Turkey regarding three TV stations broadcasting online to Egypt via Turkey. The ministry expressed its uneasiness with Egypt's "groundless claims" to Saharty and urged the country to put an end to those claims. The Egyptian government has recently criticized the al-Aan, Rabia and al-Sharq TV stations for their alleged links to the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), claiming that they have called for violence in Egypt against the current government. Last week, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgiç was asked about Turkey's position on the three TV stations. Bilgiç said foreign citizens who reside in Turkey legally and who possess a valid work permit enjoy their right to the freedom of expression under the existing legal framework. Read more: http://www.todayszaman.com/diplomacy_ankara-summons-egyptian-diplomat-after-egypts-accusations-on-arabic-tv-channels_372452.html BreitBart Senior Egyptian Statesman: Obama is Losing Long-Time Ally Egypt While the American media fretted over the career futures of Brian Williams and Jon Stewart, Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first trip to Egypt in a decade, exploiting America's increasingly tenuous relationship with its long-time ally. In less than two weeks, Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Egypt and its new President, Adbel al-Sisi. America is on the cusp of losing Egypt. Breitbart News sat down this week with Mostafa el-Gindy, an Egyptian politician who has played a pivotal role in the revolutions against former President Hosni Mubarak and the Muslim Brotherhood. Gindy said that, under Obama, American foreign policy in the Middle East assumed the Muslim Brotherhood in positions of power. When the Egyptian people threw the Brotherhood out of power, America's strategy was left in tatters. "America is losing Egypt," Gindy said. "We see how you treat Israel, who for 50 years was your closest ally. We see how you treat them and how you are now treating us. Russia and China see it too." While the international press noted Putin's trip to Cairo, the most important symbol of the visit went largely unnoticed. "Look where Egypt took Putin," Gindy said. "They took him to ‘the tower.' That was aimed at the Americans." "The Egyptian people see Sisi and Putin in the Tower and they know what that means," Gindy said. "Sadat threw the Soviets out of Egypt. Then the Soviets were gone. Now the Russians are back." Read more: http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/02/12/senior-egyptian-statesman-obama-is-losing-long-time-ally-egypt/ The Independent Chapel Hill shooting: Egypt's Al-Azhar University condemns deaths of three Muslim students The Al-Azhar University in Egypt, a celebrated centre of Islamic education and scholarship, has added its voice to those condemning the shooting of three Muslim students in North Carolina. "Al-Azhar expresses its deep shock and concern at this cowardly terrorist act, which indicates that terrorism has no nationality or religion," said a statement issued by the 1,000-year-old seat of religious learning, according to Reuters. This week's shooting of the three Chapel Hill students - newlyweds Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23 and 21-year Yusor Mohammad, and Ms Mohammad's sister, Razan Mohammad - has sparked outcry that has reached around the world. Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/chapel-hill-shooting-egypts-alazhar-university-condemns-deaths-of-three-muslim-students-10042462.html New York Times Egypt Restricts News Coverage of Slain Activist Shaimaa el-Sabbagh The Egyptian authorities on Thursday barred the news media from discussing the case of a prominent activist whose killing last month has aroused outrage over the rate of civilian deaths from police violence. The activist, Shaimaa el-Sabbagh, 31, a mother and a poet, was participating in a procession to lay flowers in Tahrir Square when she was killed by a shotgun blast at close range. Several witnesses said the blast had come from riot police officers firing birdshot and tear gas, and photographs and videos show Ms. Sabbagh dying in a friend's arms as he tries to hold her up and carry her. Civilian deaths in confrontations with the police have become routine in Egypt, and one day after Ms. Sabbagh died — on the fourth anniversary of the start the Arab Spring revolt here — 20 more were killed. But the stark photographs and Ms. Sabbagh's personal biography have drawn special attention in even the state-run and pro-government news media. Her killing has resonated so widely that President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi addressed it publicly, saying he saw her as his own "daughter" and urging the police to identify a culprit. Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/13/world/middleeast/cairo-restricts-news-coverage-of-shaimaa-el-sabbaghs-death.html?_r=1
