Canada and Turkey agreed Thursday to launch negotiations on a free trade agreement as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney paid a landmark visit to Ankara
Carney became the first Canadian prime minister to make an official visit to Turkey, a fellow NATO member, with both countries pledging closer cooperation in defense, energy, aerospace and climate change.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Carney, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the two governments had agreed to begin free trade negotiations before the end of the year.
“We decided to begin negotiations for a free trade agreement, which includes increasing trade and investment, before the end of the year,” Erdoğan said.
The Turkish president said the countries aimed to increase bilateral trade from approximately $3 billion to $5 billion and eventually $10 billion. He also announced plans to roughly double the number of direct flights between Canada and Turkey.
Carney confirmed that Canadian negotiators would travel to Ankara next month for the first round of trade discussions.
“Our goal is not self-sufficiency, it is collective resilience,” Carney said.
“And that’s why Canada is building deeper partnerships with reliable partners that create new opportunities for us both. And in Turkey, we have an exceptional partner.”
Defense cooperation and strategic industries
The two governments also announced a new Agreement on Defence Industry Partnership, designed to strengthen cooperation between Canadian and Turkish defense companies.
“Today’s new Agreement on Defence Industry Partnership will connect Canadian and Turkish companies to work together, creating good jobs at home, export opportunities abroad, greater security for our citizens, and contributing to a stronger NATO alliance,” Carney said.
In a joint statement issued after the talks, the two countries pledged to expand cooperation in energy supply, defense production, aerospace and artificial intelligence.
The leaders also expressed their “intent to deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation” on defense and security.
Nuclear energy was identified as another potential area for collaboration.
Carney is scheduled to meet Turkish business leaders in İstanbul on Friday, with discussions expected to focus on strategic sectors including energy, aerospace and critical minerals.
Canada seeks alternatives to US trade dependence
The visit comes as Canada seeks to reduce its economic dependence on the United States amid an ongoing trade dispute with Washington.
Since taking office in March 2025, Carney, a former central banker, has made diversifying Canada’s international trade relationships a central element of his government’s economic strategy.
His administration has pursued closer ties with countries including Saudi Arabia, India and China, seeking to repair relationships that had deteriorated under his predecessor, Justin Trudeau.
Carney has also sought to strengthen Canada’s economic and political partnerships with European countries.
The agreement to begin free trade negotiations with Turkey represents another step in that broader effort to expand Canada’s commercial relationships beyond its traditional dependence on the US market.
© Agence France-Presse
The post Canada opens free trade talks with Turkey appeared first on Turkish Minute.