0 views
Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to Türkiye from October 21 to 23, 2026, in what Ottawa says will be the first bilateral visit to the country by a sitting Canadian prime minister, according to reports.
Carney is expected to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara before heading to Istanbul for meetings with Turkish business leaders, as the two countries look to deepen ties across energy, mining, climate and defence, according to the Prime Minister’s Office announcement.
The visit builds on momentum from the NATO summit in July, where Canada and Türkiye launched negotiations toward a free trade agreement. That launch marked a significant step: despite decades of diplomatic relations and shared NATO membership, the two countries have never had a dedicated bilateral trade pact, and Canadian officials see considerable untapped potential.
Türkiye has also joined Canada’s Defence Security and Resilience Bank as a founding member, a signal of growing strategic alignment between the two allies. The bank initiative reflects Ottawa’s broader push to deepen defence-industrial cooperation with partners beyond its traditional circles.
Trade between the two countries has room to grow, and Canadian officials have pointed to Türkiye’s position as a bridge between Europe, Asia and the Middle East as a draw for Canadian exporters and investors. Energy cooperation and critical minerals are expected to feature prominently in the discussions, alongside climate initiatives where both countries see scope for joint work.
The trip comes as Carney continues an active fall foreign-policy calendar, using bilateral visits to advance his government’s push for diversified trade partnerships beyond Canada’s traditional markets. For a prime minister who has made economic resilience a signature theme, the Türkiye visit is both symbolism and substance: a first-of-its-kind trip aimed at opening a new commercial frontier.
Details of the full agenda are expected in the coming days, but the visit already marks a milestone: no Canadian prime minister has ever made a bilateral trip to Türkiye, making Carney’s October travel a first in the history of the relationship.
