Canada’s Carney Makes Historic First Bilateral Visit to Türkiye

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney received a formal state welcome in Ankara on Thursday, opening the first dedicated bilateral visit by a Canadian leader to Türkiye. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan greeted him at the Presidential Complex, where talks began on deepening cooperation between the two NATO allies in defence, energy and trade.

FAKTA

• Who: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
• Where: The Presidential Complex in Ankara; Istanbul business meetings follow Friday
• First: The first dedicated bilateral visit by a Canadian prime minister to Türkiye
• On the table: A joint declaration on defence, energy, economy and social and diplomatic ties
• Trade: Bilateral trade: C$4.34 billion, up nearly 50 percent in five years, under 0.3 percent of Canada’s total trade
• Background: Carney aims to cut Canada’s reliance on the US amid a tariff dispute

A Ceremony of Full Honours

Mounted guards escorted Carney’s vehicle to the entrance, where Erdoğan welcomed him at the gate. A military band played the anthems of Türkiye and Canada, soldiers carried flags of Türkiye’s 16 historic states, and a 21-gun salute marked the formal welcome. Carney greeted the Presidential Guard ceremonial unit with “Merhaba asker”, meaning “Hello, soldier”.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar and intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın were among the senior officials present. The leaders then met one-on-one before wider delegation talks, with a joint news conference to follow.

Carney Türkiye Visit Aims at a Wider Partnership

The Carney Türkiye visit is expected to produce a joint declaration deepening cooperation in four areas, with committees set up in each to draw up action plans. A Turkish diplomatic source said relations would be upgraded to a “strategic partnership”, and the declaration is also expected to advance free trade talks.

Carney’s office said the visit aims to position Canada as a key trade and investment partner, ahead of Friday’s Istanbul business meetings.

Energy and Defence at the Centre

Energy is set to be high on the agenda. A working group is expected to study whether Canada’s CANDU reactor technology could be used for a planned nuclear plant on Türkiye’s Black Sea coast, and possible Canadian liquefied natural gas sales and critical minerals are also expected to be discussed.

Türkiye seeks investment for its defence industry, new nuclear plants and mining; Ottawa eyes its aerospace, defence, energy, mining, high-tech and agriculture sectors.

Why the Visit Matters

Carney’s trip is part of an effort to buffer Canada from a trade war with the United States, where President Donald Trump has imposed sweeping tariffs and questioned Canada’s sovereignty. Canada still sends nearly 70 percent of its exports to the United States, but Carney has signed more than 20 trade deals in the past year in a push to double non-US exports over a decade.

“This trip is part of the geopolitical necessity of signaling to Americans that we are not sitting around waiting for them,” said Bessma Momani, University of Waterloo. More international coverage is available on Watan News.