Canada and Türkiye launch strategic partnership, with trade talks in Ankara

The Prime Minister's Office in Ottawa says the 22 October meeting was the first bilateral visit to Türkiye by a Canadian prime minister. The partnership rests on a 3-year action plan with 4 pillars: trade and investment, defence and security, energy, and people-to-people ties. Erdoğan said the aim was to lift bilateral trade of about 3 billion dollars first to 5 billion and then to 10 billion. Canadian data put trade at 4.34 billion Canadian dollars (3.09 billion US dollars), less than 0.3% of Canada's total merchandise trade.

Energy ministers will work on liquefied natural gas (LNG), civil nuclear power and critical minerals. The leaders discussed closer cooperation between the two countries' defence industries on 22 October; in 2024 Canada lifted restrictions on arms exports to Türkiye, including optical technology used in drones. An expanded air transport agreement was signed, and Export Development Canada and Türk Eximbank will step up cooperation on projects in third countries. Carney announced a trade mission to Türkiye in 2027.

Canada's dependence on the United States frames the visit. Roughly 70% of Canadian exports go to the US, and Carney is diversifying markets in response to the trade war. For Ankara, the prize is a new supplier of LNG and nuclear technology and a Western source of components for its defence industry. The timetable is contradictory: the joint statement places the first round in November, while Erdoğan said talks would begin before the end of 2026. The two sides formally launched negotiations on 7 July 2026, at the NATO summit in Ankara.