Canada and Turkey launch strategic partnership as Carney begins first bilateral visit

A new partnership on a two-day visit

Mark Carney arrived in Turkey on Thursday, 22 October 2026, for a two-day visit that is the first bilateral trip to Turkey by a Canadian prime minister. He had already been in Ankara in July for the NATO summit, but this is his first official bilateral visit. In Ankara he met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the presidential palace, and the two leaders announced that relations would be raised to a strategic partnership. The partnership rests on four pillars: trade and investment, defence and security, energy, and ties between people. Carney said alongside Erdogan that the two countries had planted the seeds of something new.

We've planted the seeds of something new: a strategic partnership that will create new opportunities for our workers and businesses, and greater security and prosperity for both of our peoples.

Free trade talks and trade targets

The two leaders agreed to work toward a Canada-Turkiye Free Trade Agreement, and Erdogan said negotiations would begin before the end of 2026. Canadian and Turkish negotiators are to hold the first round of trade talks in Ankara in November 2026. Erdogan described the trade goal in stages, and Carney's office said two-way trade had risen 50% over the past five years. Erdogan also said the two countries would roughly double direct flights between them.

We hope to increase our trade volume, which is currently around $3 billion (€2.6 billion), to $5 billion and then $10 billion.

Defence, energy and nuclear cooperation

Canada and Turkey, both NATO members, agreed to deepen their defence relationship and announced a defence-industry partnership. Ambassador Marcel Lebleu told Anadolu Agency that the visit aimed to "launch a strategic partnership through a joint declaration by the two leaders." Talks would cover energy, nuclear plants, sustainable mining and the defence industry. Turkey wants a second nuclear power plant on the Black Sea coast, in addition to one that Russia's Rusatom is building on the Mediterranean coast. Canada lifted its ban on weapons exports to Turkey in 2024, a restriction it had imposed over Turkey's incursions into Syria and its support for Azerbaijan in the conflict with Armenia.

Trade diversification and the US trade war

Carney's push comes amid an escalating trade war with President Donald Trump, which includes US tariffs on Canadian goods, Canadian retaliatory measures and US statements questioning Canadian sovereignty. DW reports that nearly 70% of Canadian exports go to the United States, and that Trump escalated the trade war after returning to office in 2025. Carney, a former central banker, is expected to meet Turkish business groups in Istanbul on Friday, 23 October 2026. Those talks cover energy, aerospace, advanced technologies, and mining and critical minerals. Amnesty urged Canada to put human rights on the agenda of its negotiations with Turkey.

Next steps

Erdogan said the Joint Economic and Commercial Committee would meet again in 2027, with Turkey as host and private-sector participation. The three-year action plan sets out concrete steps under each of the four pillars. Free trade negotiations are due to start before the end of 2026, and the first round in Ankara is scheduled for November 2026.