Türkiye and Canada have raised their relationship to a "strategic partnership" and adopted a three-year action plan. They also signed a defence industry memorandum and agreed to start free trade talks before the end of 2026, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said after meeting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Ankara on Thursday.
The two leaders spoke at a joint press conference at the Beştepe presidential complex after Carney was welcomed with an official ceremony. The visit is the first bilateral visit by a Canadian head of government to Türkiye.
Trade target and free trade talks
Erdoğan put bilateral trade at about $3 billion a year. He said the aim is to lift it to $5 billion first and then to $10 billion. According to Anadolu Agency, he said the sides had decided to begin negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) "before the end of the year".
A joint statement published by the Canadian prime minister’s office says the partnership rests on four pillars: trade and investment, energy and climate, defence and security, and government dialogue and people-to-people ties. Foreign ministers will oversee the action plan. The statement commits both sides to work towards concluding an FTA but gives no deadline for the talks.
The Joint Economic and Trade Committee, the two governments’ main economic forum, will meet every year. Türkiye will host the next session in 2027 with private-sector participation, Hürriyet reported. Erdoğan said he would visit Canada with business leaders, and the joint statement says he accepted an invitation to do so at a mutually convenient time.
Defence, energy and flights
A Defence Sector Partnerships memorandum of understanding was concluded between Global Affairs Canada and Türkiye’s Secretariat of Defence Industries (SSB). It is meant to bring Canadian and Turkish defence companies together. The two energy ministers also agreed a joint statement on energy cooperation. It covers liquefied natural gas (LNG), civil nuclear power, renewables and critical minerals.
Erdoğan said an updated Air Transport Agreement would roughly double the number of direct flights between the two countries. The Canadian statement says both sides will ratify the agreement but gives no date. A memorandum between Türk Eximbank and Canada’s export credit agency on joint projects in third countries is due to be signed on Friday, according to Hürriyet.
Carney called Türkiye an "exceptional partner". He pointed to its armed forces, the second largest in NATO, and its fast-growing defence industry. On climate, he said Canada would be a reliable partner during Türkiye’s presidency of the COP31 UN climate summit. The summit is due in Antalya on Nov. 9-20.
What it means for travellers
The joint statement also commits both sides to strengthen consular and migration cooperation and to "explore measures to facilitate travel and mobility". No concrete visa changes were announced.
The visit comes as Turkish manufacturers look for new export markets. Recent examples include rail wagons for Tanzania and electric-car production at Hyundai’s İzmit plant.
Sources
- Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan: Kanada ile ticaret hacmimizi 10 milyar dolara çıkarmayı temenni ediyoruz (AA)
- Kanada Başbakanı Ankara’da… Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan: İlişkilerimizi stratejik ortaklığa yükseltiyoruz (Hürriyet)
- Statement by Prime Minister Carney and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (Prime Minister of Canada)
Photo: Thomas George / Unsplash License, via Unsplash
