Turkey and Israel need each other
Much as Ankara condemns Tel-Aviv, Turkey and Israel feel alien in Arabian surroundings, so both countries need each other, director of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the RA National Academy of Sciences, professor Ruben Safrastyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.
"Since 1996 Turkey and Israel established strategic cooperative partnership. It was based on bilateral interests and enjoyed full support from USA" he said.
"Israel and Turkey had been well aware of being "strangers" in the Middle East. But the situation changed with the Islam-oriented Justice and Development Party (AKP) coming to power," prof. Safrastyan added, recollecting Turkey's position in Lebanese-Israeli and Palestinian-Israeli conflict of 2006.
"I don't think that after the recent events Turkish-Israeli relations will lose their strategic nature. Turkey is very dependant on military and technical support of Israel. According to some sources, only in 2007 Israel sold military equipment to Turkey to the amount of $1 billion. This means a lot," he said.
"Since 1996 Turkey and Israel established strategic cooperative partnership. It was based on bilateral interests and enjoyed full support from USA" he said.
"Israel and Turkey had been well aware of being "strangers" in the Middle East. But the situation changed with the Islam-oriented Justice and Development Party (AKP) coming to power," prof. Safrastyan added, recollecting Turkey's position in Lebanese-Israeli and Palestinian-Israeli conflict of 2006.
"I don't think that after the recent events Turkish-Israeli relations will lose their strategic nature. Turkey is very dependant on military and technical support of Israel. According to some sources, only in 2007 Israel sold military equipment to Turkey to the amount of $1 billion. This means a lot," he said.
