Prime Minister Mark Carney has wrapped up a visit to Ankara and Istanbul that his office calls historic: the first bilateral visit to Turkiye by a Canadian prime minister. In Ankara, Carney met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to launch a Canada-Turkiye Strategic Partnership, supported by a three-year action plan covering trade and investment, defence and security, energy, and people-to-people ties.
The centrepiece for business is trade. The two leaders announced that the first round of negotiations toward a comprehensive free trade agreement will take place from November 30 to December 4, 2026, in Ankara. Trade between Canada and Turkiye has grown by almost 50 per cent since 2020, and two-way merchandise trade reached $4.3 billion in 2025, including $1.1 billion in Canadian exports and $3.2 billion in imports from Turkiye. The negotiations were first announced in July 2026 on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Ankara, and public consultations in Canada concluded last month.
“Our new Strategic Partnership will open new markets for Canadian businesses, connect our defence industries, and strengthen our energy security, creating good jobs for Canadian workers,” Carney said in the release.
To support that trade push, Export Development Canada and Turk Eximbank signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on projects in third countries, so Canadian and Turkish companies can team up in international markets. In Istanbul, Carney met Turkish business leaders and investors to promote investment in Canada’s energy, mining, aerospace, and defence industries, and announced a Canadian trade mission to Turkiye in 2027, to be led by the Minister of International Trade.
Defence and energy deals were also signed. The two NATO allies announced a new memorandum of understanding on defence sector partnerships, meant to connect Canadian and Turkish companies so they can build together. On energy, the countries signed a joint statement to strengthen cooperation in liquefied natural gas, civil nuclear and renewable energy, and critical minerals, aimed at investment in major projects, stronger supply chains, and greater energy security in both countries.
For travellers and families, the two countries signed the recently expanded Air Transport Agreement. It raises weekly passenger flights from 12 to up to 21 per country, with access to all points in each country and unlimited cargo flights. The Prime Minister’s Office says the agreement will make travel easier and more affordable for families visiting loved ones, for students, and for tourists. For British Columbia, more seats and cargo space on Canada-Turkiye routes mean more options for Turkish-Canadian families in Metro Vancouver and more capacity for B.C. goods heading to Turkiye and the markets beyond it.
Carney was accompanied on the visit by Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson. The partnership also covers climate cooperation ahead of the COP31 climate conference, which Turkiye hosts in Antalya next month; Environment and Climate Change Minister Julie Aviva Dabrusin will represent Canada there. Canada and Turkiye have had diplomatic relations since 1944 and work together in NATO, the G20, and other international forums. Turkiye has a market of more than 85 million people and a network of 24 free trade agreements.
Source: Prime Minister’s Office news release, October 23, 2026
