[REVISION HISTORY]

Canada-Turkey bilateral relations strengthening

Updated 8 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-10-26 05:24 UTC → 2026-10-26 14:05 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney conducted a historic three-day official visit to Turkey from October 21 to 23, marking the first dedicated bilateral trip by a Canadian leader to the NATO ally. The visit, which included stops in Ankara and Istanbul, aimed to elevate bilateral relations to a strategic partnership through a joint declaration covering defense, energy, economy, and diplomatic ties. During meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the two leaders established a Canada-Turkiye Strategic Partnership supported by a three-year action plan focused on trade, investment, defense, security, energy, and people-to-people ties. A significant component of this partnership involves a memorandum of understanding for defense cooperation between Global Affairs Canada and Turkey’s Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB), aiming to facilitate joint manufacturing between Canadian and Turkish companies. ~~The visit also saw Turkey agree to join Canada’s~~ President Erdogan expressed expectations that the Canada-led Defence Security and Resilience ~~Bank~~ Bank, which Turkey joined as ~~one of its ten~~ a founding ~~member nations.~~ member, will support these collaborative defense industry efforts. To bolster economic ties, the leaders agreed to begin negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by the end of the year, following the formal launch of talks during a NATO summit in July. The partnership aims to increase bilateral trade from the current $3 billion to a target of $10 billion. In the energy sector, ~~Canada’s CANDU nuclear technology continues~~ cooperation is expected to ~~be evaluated for Turkey’s~~ expand into nuclear ~~power ambitions.~~ energy, critical minerals, and liquefied natural gas. While Carney addressed human rights during discussions in Istanbul, noting that “engagement is not approval,” the diplomatic rapprochement has drawn criticism from Greek-Canadian community organizations. Groups including the Hellenic Canadian Research Institute and the Greek Community of Toronto expressed concern regarding the Prime Minister’s decision to lay a wreath at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, citing conflicts with historical perspectives on the treatment of Pontic, Armenian, and Assyrian Christian populations.

Versions

Only revisions since CLSTR began indexing content versions appear here. Select a version to see what changed compared to the one before it.