Carney, Erdogan launch ‘strong and resilient’ Canada-Turkiye partnership

On trade, investment and innovation, leaders will work towards conclusion of a Canada-Turkiye Free Trade Agreement.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, welcomes Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex during his official visit to Turkiye, in Ankara on October 22, 2026 [Adem Altan / AFP]

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have announced the launch of a Canada-Turkiye Strategic Partnership, backed by a three-year action plan.

“In an increasingly complex global security environment, rising geopolitical uncertainties, and evolving humanitarian challenges, a strong and resilient Canada-Turkiye partnership is essential, providing a foundation to mitigate shared threats and capitalise on new opportunities,” said a statement by the two leaders on Thursday.

This comes as Carney is on a two-day visit to Turkiye, seeking to forge a new partnership as Canada looks to reduce its dependence on the United States.

The partnership’s three-year action plan rests on four pillars: trade and investment; defence and security; energy; and ties between people, the statement said.

On trade, investment and innovation, the two leaders agreed to “work toward successful conclusion of a Canada-Turkiye Free Trade Agreement”, it said. They will also expand bilateral trade and investments in priority sectors, including energy supply, defence production, aerospace, and artificial intelligence (AI).

On defence and security, the leaders “underlined their intent to deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation”. They also agreed to “strengthen cooperation in support of peace and security in the Euro-Atlantic region and beyond including Ukraine, South Caucasus, and the Middle East, in particular Gaza”.

Meanwhile, energy ministers from both countries will work on areas such as liquefied natural gas, nuclear energy and critical minerals.

‘Launching a new era’

Speaking to reporters in Ankara alongside Carney on Thursday, Erdogan said the two countries “hope to increase our trade volume, which currently stands at around $3bn, to $5bn initially and then to $10bn through the steps we will take”.

He said the two sides had agreed to begin free trade agreement negotiations before the end of the year to boost trade and investment, adding that elevating Turkiye-Canada relations to the level of a strategic partnership would not be merely a symbolic step on paper.

“We have today overcome the disconnect that had persisted between Turkiye and Canada for many years. Now, we are launching a new era between Turkiye and Canada,” he said.

Canadian and Turkish leaders will convene next month in Ankara for the first round of trade talks, the joint statement said. Carney is on the first bilateral visit by a Canadian prime minister to Turkiye, although he travelled to Ankara in July to attend the NATO summit.

He was scheduled to meet Erdogan and other officials before travelling to Istanbul for talks with Turkish business groups as the two countries seek to deepen trade ties.

The Canadian prime minister has sought to diversify partnerships and reduce reliance on the US amid an escalating trade war with US President Donald Trump, marked by US tariffs on Canadian goods, followed by retaliatory measures from Canada, as well as Trump’s statements questioning Canadian sovereignty.

在贸易、投资和创新方面，两国领导人将努力达成加拿大-土耳其自由贸易协定。

2026年10月22日，土耳其总统雷杰普·塔伊普·埃尔多安（左）在安卡拉总统府举行的正式仪式上欢迎加拿大总理马克·卡尼，卡尼正在对土耳其进行正式访问。[Adem Altan / AFP]

加拿大总理马克·卡尼和土耳其总统雷杰普·塔伊普·埃尔多安宣布启动加土战略伙伴关系，并制定了一项为期三年的行动计划。

“在全球安全环境日益复杂、地缘政治不确定性加剧以及人道主义挑战不断演变的背景下，强大而有韧性的加土伙伴关系至关重要，它为减轻共同威胁和抓住新机遇奠定了基础，”两国领导人周四在一份声明中表示。

卡尼正在对土耳其进行为期两天的访问，寻求建立新的伙伴关系，因为加拿大希望减少对美国的依赖。

声明称，该伙伴关系的三年行动计划以四大支柱为基础：贸易和投资；国防和安全；能源；以及人民之间的联系。

声明称，在贸易、投资和创新方面，两国领导人同意“努力促成加土自由贸易协定的成功达成”。他们还将扩大在能源供应、国防生产、航空航天和人工智能等优先领域的双边贸易和投资。

在国防和安全问题上，两国领导人“强调了深化双边和多边合作的意愿”。他们还同意“加强合作，支持欧洲-大西洋地区及其他地区（包括乌克兰、南高加索和中东，特别是加沙地带）的和平与安全”。

与此同时，两国能源部长将就液化天然气、核能和关键矿产等领域展开合作。

“开启新时代”

周四，埃尔多安与卡尼在安卡拉会见记者时表示，两国“希望通过我们将采取的措施，将目前约 30 亿美元的贸易额先提高到 50 亿美元，然后再提高到 100 亿美元”。

他表示，双方已同意在年底前开始自由贸易协定谈判，以促进贸易和投资，并补充说，将土耳其和加拿大的关系提升到战略伙伴关系的水平，不仅仅是纸面上的象征性一步。

他说：“今天，我们克服了土耳其和加拿大之间多年来一直存在的隔阂。现在，我们正在开启土耳其和加拿大之间的新时代。”

加拿大和土耳其领导人将于下月在安卡拉举行首轮贸易谈判，联合声明称。卡尼此次是加拿大总理首次对土耳其进行双边访问，尽管他曾在7月访问安卡拉出席北约峰会。

他原计划在前往伊斯坦布尔与土耳其商业团体举行会谈之前，会见埃尔多安和其他官员，两国正寻求深化贸易关系。

在与美国总统唐纳德·特朗普的贸易战不断升级之际，加拿大总理寻求实现伙伴关系多元化，减少对美国的依赖。这场贸易战的特点是美国对加拿大商品加征关税，随后加拿大采取报复措施，以及特朗普质疑加拿大​​主权的言论。