Carney and Erdogan unveil Canada-Turkey partnership plan
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a strategic partnership with Turkey on Wednesday, aimed at deepening cooperation in defence, energy and joint business ventures. The announcement came during his visit to Ankara, where he met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Bestepe Presidential Complex, according to The Globe and Mail.
The two leaders unveiled a three-year action plan. It is meant to expand political dialogue, trade, technological development and common security between the two countries.
Carney is the first Canadian prime minister to make a bilateral trip to Turkey purely to advance relations between the two countries. Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson travelled with him. The pair promoted the sale of CANDU nuclear reactors, critical minerals and liquefied natural gas to Turkey. Canada's energy minister and his Turkish counterpart agreed to work together on liquefied natural gas, civil nuclear energy, renewable energy and critical energy infrastructure.
Export Development Canada, the federal agency that supports Canadian exporters, will sign an agreement with Turk Eximbank. The deal is intended to help companies in both countries form joint ventures in foreign markets. The focus areas are energy, mining and critical minerals, infrastructure and transportation.
An air transport agreement between the two countries is being finalized. If completed, it would raise the number of weekly passenger flights allowed to 21, up from 12. There would be no limit on cargo flights.
Negotiations toward a free trade agreement, first announced in July, will begin next month. International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu will lead a trade mission to Turkey in 2027.
The visit also fits a broader push to reduce Canada's reliance on trade with the United States. Reuters reported the trip as part of that effort.
Relations have been building through the year. In June, Canada and Turkey issued a joint statement on economic partnership. In it, ministers named energy as a promising area for expanded cooperation and agreed to explore opportunities in renewable energy. Carney had also been in Ankara in July for the 2026 NATO Summit, which that city hosted.
