ISLAMABAD, March 5: Turkey wants close people-to-people contacts between Islamabad and Ankara with the establishment of direct airlinks between the two capitals as a first priority.

Speaking at a dialogue on Pakistan-Turkey relationship at the Institute of Strategic Studies here on Friday, the Turkish ambassador, Hasan Kemal Gur, said people-to-people contacts were an important element of relationship between the two countries in which priority must be given to transportation sector.

"Our capitals are not connected. Islamabad should have a connection to Ankara," Mr Gur said. "I know that Turkish Airlines is willing and I know that PIA is not willing," he said.

"I know that it is a win-win situation. And I know that PIA does not want to win anything," Ambassador Gur said in a lighter tone. The ambassador said it was general rule if the capitals were combined first, then Pakistan and Turkey could combine their capitals financially as well.

He said there were ample opportunities for convergence of relationship between the two countries in economic, political, cultural and other areas. Economic cooperation vis-a-vis joint ventures were needed in which more favourable treatment to Turkish companies should be given in Pakistan, he said.

"We have to compensate the stalemate deriving from romantic and nostalgic connotations of our past," the ambassador said. The global environment, Mr Gur said, presented enormous challenges for Pakistan and Turkey.

Speaking on the question of European Union (EU) Turkish relationship, the chairman, Centre for Strategic Research, Ankara, Ambassador Murat Bilhan, said some Europeans wanted to exclude Turkey from the Union.

Replying to a question about perception of the EU as a Christian Club and its refusal to accept the Muslim state of Turkey since 1950s in the context of Islam vs West debate, Mr Bilhan said in the historical sense there had always been the other which has existed and is inevitable.

In the old Athenian days, he said, the other was the Persians. "During the Romans the Barbarians. Again during the Romans the Christians. During the Christian Dark Ages, the Jews and the Muslims."

He said this is a socio-political phenomenon which creates an anti-personality. In the new cycle of terror, perpetrated by some people who claimed to be Muslims created another anti-thesis, he maintained.

"Now Communism has died. The other ideologies have died down. They had to find something and they have done so." He said as far as fundamentalism was concerned it plagued every society. Citing examples, he said, there is Hindu fundamentalism which strikes the Muslims in India; there is Shinto; there is Confucius fundamentalism in Far East and they attack other quarters.

In China there is intolerance to other ideologies. Then there is intolerance among Christians themselves which do not tolerate other Christian sects.

Then there are fundamentalists, Christian fundamentalists, Presbyterian fundamentalists. Then you can see the Klu Klux Klan based on religious fundamentalism originally. He said the Muslims and not Islam should bear the fault for fundamentalism.

In response to a question about possible time-frame for Turkey's admittance into the EU, ambassador Bilhan said it may take another ten years as the EU continued to put one barrier after another on Turkey's membership.

Citing examples ambassador Bilhan said, "this year they say Cyprus. Next year they would say the Asian question. The following year they would say you have butchered the Armenians so you have to admit you committed genocide.

Then the following year they would say give the Kurds a free state. And then another year they would find another excuse and put another barrier." He said Turkey inevitably will be a member of the EU in the long run, maybe in ten years time.

Other who spoke in the dialogue included ISSI director, Dr Shireen Mazari, Senator Mushahid Hussain, former minister of state for foreign affairs Inamul Haq, Najam Rafique, Nadia Mushtaq and Prof Mesut Hakki Casin.