Canada, long tethered to a single neighbor for the bulk of its commerce, has reached south and east in search of other doors, and in Ankara the Prime Minister and the Turkish president gave that search a new name: a strategic partnership. The visit is a reminder that nations, like households, widen their circles when the familiar hearth grows unreliable, and that the promise of a larger table is often made long before the table is set. Whether this bond becomes a durable architecture of trade and trust, or remains a warm declaration, will depend on the patient work still ahead and on whether t
Carney Visits Ankara to Elevate Canada-Turkey Ties to 'Strategic Partnership' Amid Trade Diversification
Amnesty International says Turkey's government is cracking down on opposition and critical media and has carried out mass arrests targeting the LGBTQ+ community.
"We've planted the seeds of something new."
Mark
Why does a first-ever visit like this matter beyond the ceremony?
Mimi
Because of the context. Nearly 70 percent of Canada's exports go to the United States, and Trump's tariffs since 2025 have pushed Canada to look elsewhere. Turkey is one of those somewheres.
Mark
And Turkey is a sizable market?
Mimi
Over 86 million people and the 16th-largest nominal GDP. Canada is 11th, with over 41 million people.
Luke
But current trade is only about $3 billion. Erdogan's targets of $5 billion and then $10 billion are hopes, not commitments, and no timeline was given for them.
Mark
What about the free trade agreement?
Mimi
Erdogan said negotiations will begin before the end of 2026. That's the concrete marker to watch.
Luke
Note that the start date came from Erdogan. The source doesn't say Canada confirmed it, and starting talks is far from concluding a deal.
Mark
And the human rights angle?
Mimi
Amnesty's Ruhat Sena Aksenir said Canada must not treat rights as secondary. Turkey has cracked down on opposition and media and carried out mass arrests of LGBTQ+ people.
Luke
What we don't know is whether Carney raised any of that privately. The reporting doesn't say, so we can't claim he did or didn't.
Il Polso
- Canada sends nearly seventy percent of its exports to the United States, and tariffs imposed under Trump have made that dependence feel like a vulnerability.
- Prime Minister Carney's visit to Ankara is the first bilateral trip to Turkey by a sitting Canadian leader, marking a notable break from the familiar pattern.
- Turkey and Canada upgraded their ties to a strategic partnership covering trade, energy, people-to-people links, and defense cooperation between NATO allies.
- Erdogan has set ambitious targets, aiming to lift roughly $3 billion in bilateral trade to $5 billion and then $10 billion, with free trade talks promised before 2026 ends.
- Rights groups, including Amnesty International, warn that Turkey's crackdown on opposition, critical media, and the LGBTQ+ community must not be sidelined in the deal-making.
- The trajectory now rests on whether the trade negotiations actually open on schedule and whether human rights become a visible condition of the talks.
Canada, long tethered to a single neighbor for the bulk of its commerce, has reached south and east in search of other doors, and in Ankara the Prime Minister and the Turkish president gave that search a new name: a strategic partnership. The visit is a reminder that nations, like households, widen their circles when the familiar hearth grows unreliable, and that the promise of a larger table is often made long before the table is set. Whether this bond becomes a durable architecture of trade and trust, or remains a warm declaration, will depend on the patient work still ahead and on whether the values each side claims to hold are carried into the negotiations.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Mark Carney sat down with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the presidential palace in Ankara, opening a two-day visit that marked the first time a sitting Canadian prime minister had come to Turkey on a bilateral trip. By the end of the day, the two governments had announced that their relationship would be elevated to a "strategic partnership," reaching across trade, energy, the ties between their people, and defense, since both countries sit within NATO.
Carney spoke of planting seeds that would create work and security for both nations, a bond meant to grow with care for generations. Erdogan called it the start of a new era and gave the partnership a clock: negotiations toward a free trade agreement will begin before the end of 2026. Trade now stands at about $3 billion, and he hopes to push it to $5 billion, then $10 billion, with direct flights set to roughly double.
For Canada, the journey is part of a broader search for partners beyond its southern neighbor, which takes in nearly seventy percent of its exports. Tariffs introduced under Donald Trump have sharpened that urgency. Carney, a former central banker, is due to meet business leaders in Istanbul on Friday.
The visit carries a shadow. Erdogan and his AKP, in power since 2002, have tightened their grip on opposition voices and critical media, and mass arrests have targeted the LGBTQ+ community. Amnesty International's Turkey director, Ruhat Sena Aksenir, urged Ottawa not to treat human rights as secondary in the coming talks, arguing that lasting partnerships rest on accountability and the rule of law.
The coming months will show whether the promised trade talks truly begin before year's end, and whether human rights find any visible place within them.
On Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney sat down with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the presidential palace in Ankara, the opening event of a two-day visit. It is the first bilateral visit to Turkey by a sitting Canadian prime minister, and it ended the first day with the two countries announcing that their relationship would be upgraded to a "strategic partnership."
The partnership is meant to cover trade, energy and people-to-people ties. Standing beside Erdogan, Carney said the two leaders had planted the seeds of something new, a partnership that would create opportunities for workers and businesses and bring greater security and prosperity to both peoples. He said it would grow with care and commitment for generations.
Erdogan described the moment as the start of a new era between the two countries and praised Carney as a leader of common sense and acumen. He also gave a timeline: negotiations on a free trade agreement with Canada, he said, will begin before the end of 2026. On numbers, he was specific. Trade between the countries currently runs at around $3 billion (€2.6 billion), and he hopes to raise it to $5 billion and then to $10 billion. He added that direct flights between the two countries would roughly double.
Defense was part of the agenda too. Canada and Turkey are both NATO members, and they agreed during the visit to deepen their defense relationship.
The trip fits a larger Canadian effort to find customers and partners beyond the United States. Nearly 70 percent of Canadian exports go to its southern neighbor. Since returning to office in 2025, US President Donald Trump has escalated a trade war against Canada and imposed tariffs on many Canadian goods, pushing Ottawa to reduce its dependence on the American market. Carney, a former central banker, is expected to meet Turkish business leaders in Istanbul on Friday.
The two economies are of comparable weight. Turkey has more than 86 million people and, as of 2026, the world's 16th-largest nominal GDP. Canada has more than 41 million people and the 11th-largest.
The visit also arrives against a difficult domestic backdrop in Turkey. Erdogan and his conservative Justice and Development Party, known as the AKP, have cracked down on the opposition and on critical media, and the government has targeted the LGBTQ+ community with mass arrests. The AKP has governed since 2002, with the party and Erdogan in particular consolidating power over that time. Freedom House rates Turkey "not free," with low scores for political rights and civil liberties, and Reporters Without Borders places it 163rd of 180 countries on its World Press Freedom Index.
Ruhat Sena Aksenir, Turkey director of Amnesty International, urged Ottawa to keep those issues at the table. Canada, she said, must not treat human rights as secondary in the negotiations, and sustainable partnerships depend on accountability and respect for the rule of law.
What to watch now is whether the free trade talks Erdogan promised actually open before year's end, and whether human rights feature in them in any visible way.
Citazioni salienti
Canada must not treat human rights as secondary in the negotiations.— Ruhat Sena Aksenir, Turkey director, Amnesty International
We are starting a new era between Turkey and Canada.— Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish president
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