Prime Minister Mark Carney and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have announced a strategic partnership to strengthen trade and defence ties between Canada and Turkey.
The agreement aims to diversify Canada’s trade relationships and reduce its reliance on the United States. It focuses on four areas: trade and investment, defence and security, energy, and people-to-people connections.
The two countries will begin free trade negotiations in Ankara next month. They also plan to improve co-operation between their defence industries, expand passenger flights and explore investment opportunities in energy and critical minerals.
Canada is also considering whether its Candu nuclear technology could help Turkey build a planned nuclear power plant.
Carney called Turkey an important partner, while Erdogan said the agreement marks a new era in relations between the two countries. Erdogan also expressed plans to visit Canada with a business delegation.
However, the partnership comes amid concerns about Turkey’s human rights record and its crackdown on opposition groups. Experts say Canada faces a difficult balance between expanding trade and addressing human rights issues.
The countries also have a history of tensions over Canadian military equipment. Canada previously restricted certain arms exports to Turkey after concerns that Canadian-made targeting equipment was diverted to Azerbaijan and used during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The new partnership marks a further step in Carney’s efforts to build stronger economic and defence relationships with countries outside the United States.
