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YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS:
The freezing of the military agreements by Turkey, reduction of diplomatic representation till the second secretary of ambassador as well as declaration of Israeli ambassador as "persona non grata" are decisive steps directed against Israel, Turkologist Ruben Melkonyan said at a news conference today. He added that Turkey undertakes such serious steps in foreign policy only in case when it is deeply convinced in its benefits.
"The two political demands became the basis for finally spoiling the Turkish-Israeli relations. One of them was the demand of apology for the murders connected with "Marie Marmara" case of the previous year, the other the immediate lifting of blockade of Gaza", the Turkologist said, pointing out that such demands are being forwarded by a state which for already 100 years refuses to apologize for killing 1.5 million innocent people, a state that has illegally blockaded Armenia for already 20 years.
"In respect of political benefit, as of the moment Turkey's grounds are quite firm as in case of getting Israel's apology Turkey will celebrate an obvious victory, and without it there remains a state that throws glove to Israel before the Arab world. For the majority of the Muslim world Israel remains the main enemy and Turkey is viewed as a fighter struggling against "that evil"," Melkonyan said.
Speaking about Turkey's Prime Minister Erdogan's image in the Muslim world, Melkonyan pointed out that Arabs admire and worship Erdogan. "I can state for sure that from the point of view of propaganda Erdogan and his administration's successes are rather remarkable", the Turkologist said.