Canada and Turkiye have formally elevated their relationship to a strategic partnership, marking the most significant upgrade in ties between the two NATO allies in years. Prime Minister Mark Carney met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the presidential palace in Ankara on Thursday, where the leaders agreed on a three-year action plan covering trade, defence, energy and closer people-to-people links.
Quick Answer: Canada and Turkiye signed a strategic partnership in Ankara on October 22, 2026, as Prime Minister Mark Carney met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The deal rests on a three-year action plan across trade, defence, energy and people-to-people ties, with free-trade talks starting next month and a target of lifting bilateral trade from $3 billion to $10 billion.
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Canada Turkiye strategic partnership announced in Ankara
It was the first bilateral visit by a Canadian prime minister to Turkiye, and Ottawa treated it as one. Carney arrived at Erdogan's presidential complex with an official ceremony, held bilateral talks followed by delegation-level discussions, and the two leaders then faced reporters together to announce the new framework.
"We've planted the seeds of something new: a strategic partnership that will create new opportunities for our workers and businesses, and greater security and prosperity for both our peoples. With care and commitment, it will grow for generations to come," Carney said, standing beside Erdogan.
Erdogan praised Carney as a leader with "common-sense and acumen" on the world political stage, and said the two countries had taken a historic step. "Today, we have alleviated the long-standing Turkey-Canada disconnect. Now, we are starting a new era between Turkey and Canada," he said.
What the three-year action plan covers
The partnership's action plan rests on four pillars — trade and investment; defence and security; energy; and ties between people — and came with concrete commitments attached.
On trade, the two sides agreed to work toward the successful conclusion of a Canada-Turkiye Free Trade Agreement. Negotiators will convene in Ankara next month for the first round of trade talks, the joint statement said, and both sides expect to begin formal FTA negotiations before the end of the year. Export Development Canada and Turkiye's Eximbank will sign a new deal to help companies from both countries cooperate on projects in third nations.
On defence and security, the leaders said they intended to deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation, including in support of peace and security in the Euro-Atlantic region "and beyond, including Ukraine, South Caucasus, and the Middle East, in particular Gaza."
On energy, the countries' energy ministers will work on liquefied natural gas, nuclear energy and critical minerals.
The $10 billion trade target
Erdogan put numbers on the ambition: the two sides hope to raise bilateral trade from around $3 billion today to $5 billion first, and then to $10 billion. Turkish and Canadian ministers signed cooperation agreements on energy, defence and air transport at Thursday's ceremony, with more flight connections agreed to boost trade and travel.
Turkey accounted for less than 0.3% of Canada's total merchandise trade — about C$4.34 billion ($3.09 billion) — though bilateral trade has risen by nearly 50% in the past five years.
Why Carney is on a global trade blitz
Carney has spent months diversifying Canada's partnerships as a trade war with the US bites: Trump has applied sweeping tariffs on Canadian goods and repeatedly questioned Canadian sovereignty, prompting retaliatory measures from Ottawa.
"This trip is part of the geopolitical necessity of signaling to Americans that we are not sitting around waiting for them," Bessma Momani, a professor of political science at the University of Waterloo, told Reuters.
The figures are stark: Canada still sends nearly 70% of its exports to the US, and Ottawa has signed more than 20 trade deals in the past year in a push to double non-US exports within a decade.
Turkiye is the latest stop in that campaign, and Carney will meet Turkish business leaders and investors in Istanbul on Friday before the trade talks begin.
A thaw after years of friction
The agreement also marks a diplomatic thaw after years of cool relations over human-rights concerns and a past arms embargo; in 2024, Canada removed its weapons-export controls on Turkiye.
The symbolism went both ways. Turkiye wants new investment for its growing defence industry, planned nuclear power plants and its mining sector, and at the July NATO summit it agreed to join Canada's Defence, Security and Resilience Bank as a founding member.
Turkiye's crackdown on the opposition since 2024 has drawn international criticism, and analysts noted Carney has focused less on rights issues than his predecessors.
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Why it matters
For Canada, the deal is another brick in the wall Carney is building between Ottawa and Washington's tariff regime. Each new partnership — and each market that absorbs Canadian exports — slightly reduces the leverage a protectionist US president holds over the Canadian economy. Turkiye, as a NATO ally with a large defence industry and energy needs that match Canadian supply, is a natural fit on paper — one more strand in Ankara's growing web of defence ties, which already includes the Saudi-Pakistan pact.
What happens next
The calendar is already set. Trade negotiators meet in Ankara next month for the first round of FTA talks, with the aim of opening formal negotiations before year's end. Carney's Friday meetings with Turkish business leaders in Istanbul will test whether the corporate sector buys into the political enthusiasm.
Key Takeaways
- Canada and Turkiye signed a strategic partnership in Ankara on October 22, 2026, during Mark Carney's first bilateral visit by a Canadian prime minister to the country.
- The three-year action plan covers trade and investment, defence and security, energy, and people-to-people ties.
- Free-trade negotiations begin with a first round of talks in Ankara next month; Erdogan set a $3bn-to-$10bn trade target.
- The deal is part of Carney's wider push to diversify Canada's trade away from the US amid Trump's tariffs.
- Ministers signed agreements on energy, defence and air transport, and Eximbank cooperation was agreed for projects in third countries.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Canada-Turkiye strategic partnership?
It is a formal upgrade of bilateral relations between Canada and Turkiye, announced in Ankara on October 22, 2026, backed by a three-year action plan. The partnership covers trade and investment, defence and security, energy cooperation and people-to-people ties, with the goal of deepening economic and security links between the two NATO allies.
Why did Mark Carney visit Turkiye?
Carney visited Turkiye on October 21–24 as part of a global trade blitz aimed at diversifying Canada's economic partnerships and reducing reliance on the United States. The visit — the first bilateral trip by a Canadian prime minister to Turkiye — also marked a thaw in relations that had been strained over human-rights concerns and past arms-export controls.
What deals were signed during the visit?
Canadian and Turkish ministers signed cooperation agreements on energy, defence and air transport at Thursday's ceremony in Ankara. The two sides also agreed that Export Development Canada and Turkiye's Eximbank would sign a new deal to help their companies cooperate on projects in third countries.
What is the $10 billion trade target?
President Erdogan said the two countries hope to raise bilateral trade from around $3 billion today to $5 billion first, and then to $10 billion. Turkey currently accounts for less than 0.3% of Canada's merchandise trade, though bilateral trade has grown by nearly 50% over the past five years.
How does this relate to US tariffs on Canada?
The partnership is widely seen as part of Carney's strategy to buffer Canada from the US trade war. With President Trump imposing sweeping tariffs on Canadian goods and questioning Canadian sovereignty, Ottawa has signed more than 20 trade deals in the past year in a push to double non-US exports within a decade.
By GlobalDeskNews Staff
Sources
- Al Jazeera — Carney, Erdogan launch 'strong and resilient' Canada-Turkiye partnership (October 22, 2026)
- The Straits Times / Reuters — Canada, Turkey sign 'strategic partnership' during Carney visit meant to boost trade and investment (October 22, 2026)
- The National — Turkey and Canada launch strategic partnership (October 22, 2026)
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