Canada and Türkiye Launch Strategic Partnership as Free Trade Talks Near

Prime Minister Mark Carney and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan launched a strategic partnership between Canada and Türkiye on Thursday, announcing a three year action plan and an expanded air transport agreement during Carney’s visit to Ankara.

It is the first bilateral visit to Türkiye by a Canadian prime minister, according to the Prime Minister’s Office. The Canadian Press reported that the two leaders met for about an hour.

A free trade agreement has not been concluded. The leaders’ joint statement says the first round of negotiations will be held in Ankara next month.

The action plan
The three year plan has four pillars: trade, investment and innovation; energy and climate; defence and security; and ties between governments and between people, according to the joint statement. The countries’ foreign ministers will oversee it, and the two sides will hold an annual strategic dialogue.

“Our objectives are clear: more trade between business to build more prosperity between our peoples,” Carney said, according to The Canadian Press.

Al Jazeera quoted Erdoğan as saying, “We have today overcome the disconnect that had persisted between Turkiye and Canada for many years.” Al Jazeera also quoted Carney as saying, “Our goal is not self sufficiency; it is collective resilience.”

Trade and flights
The Prime Minister’s Office said the leaders signed a newly expanded Canada-Türkiye Air Transport Agreement to increase connections and support trade and tourism. The joint statement lists ratification of the agreement as still to come. The Canadian Press reported that flights between the two countries could nearly double if airlines add capacity.

Al Jazeera reported that Erdoğan put current bilateral trade at about 3 billion dollars, with a goal of 5 billion and then 10 billion. The Canadian Press reported that he hopes trade will roughly double to 10 billion. The reports do not specify the currency, and NordoVista could not reach Canadian government trade statistics to confirm a baseline.

The readout also welcomed closer cooperation between Export Development Canada and Türk Eximbank in third countries, and Carney announced a Canadian trade mission to Türkiye in 2027.

Energy and defence
The joint statement commits both sides to cooperate on liquefied natural gas, civil nuclear energy, renewables, critical minerals and clean technology. It also welcomes a memorandum between Global Affairs Canada and Türkiye’s Secretariat of Defence Industries to expand defence industry partnerships. The countries agreed to begin a dialogue on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and extradition.

The readout says the leaders also discussed Russia’s war in Ukraine, developments in the Middle East and security in the Black Sea. The joint statement refers to cooperation on Ukraine, the South Caucasus and the Middle East, “in particular Gaza.” Canada also welcomed Türkiye’s hosting of the COP31 climate conference in Antalya from Nov. 9 to 20.

Past disagreements and human rights
Canada formally blocked military exports to Türkiye in April 2021 after a probe found Canadian drone technology had been used by Azerbaijan in fighting with Armenia, according to a report by ARY News. In January 2024, Ottawa announced that permits for military items would be reviewed case by case.

The joint statement lists human rights, individual liberties, democracy and the rule of law among the countries’ shared values. The readout does not mention human rights. Amnesty International urged Carney to raise what it called a deepening human rights crisis in Türkiye, the Canadian Press reported. The Prime Minister’s Office said Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand raised human rights with her Turkish counterpart. Neither leader took reporters’ questions Thursday, according to The Canadian Press.

What is next
Canadian negotiators are to travel to Türkiye next month for the first round of free trade talks. Carney was scheduled to travel to Istanbul to meet Turkish business groups, Al Jazeera reported. Carney invited Erdoğan to make a state visit to Canada, and Türkiye welcomed the invitation. No date has been set.