On OS X are iTunes and the App Store apps one and the same? I have two MacBook Airs (Running the latest version of OS X 10.9). On one of the MacBooks I decided to get rid of some of the apps that I know I am not going to use. One of the apps that I got rid of was iTunes. But, the App Store forces me to reinstall iTunes... again and again.

So, now I am wondering are the App Store and the iTunes apps one and the same? Is that why the App Store forces me to reinstall iTunes again and again?
App Store is for acquiring OS X software and alike, while iTunes is for acquiring iOS apps and everything media-related (music, movies, podcasts, etc.). Although they are separate applications, the App Store application must be relying on the iTunes "engine" for some functionalities.