Prime Minister Mark Carney has wrapped up the first bilateral visit by a Canadian prime minister to Turkey, signing a strategic partnership that both countries say will take the relationship to a new level. The agreement rests on four pillars, a three-year action plan, and an ambitious goal: lifting two-way trade from 3 billion to 10 billion dollars, with formal free-trade talks set to begin next month.
The visit, long in the making, is part of Carney’s broader push to diversify Canada’s economic partnerships beyond the United States. Turkey, a NATO ally with a large and growing economy, straddles Europe and Asia and offers Canadian exporters a gateway to wider markets. For Ankara, closer ties with Ottawa bring investment, technology and a reliable partner in an uncertain world.
Rights raised behind closed doors
The trade agenda shared the stage with a frank exchange on human rights. On Friday, Carney said Canada had raised issues around LGBTQ+ rights during his meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a notable moment given Turkey’s record on the issue. The prime minister’s office framed the discussion as part of Canada’s consistent approach: pursue economic partnership while being direct about values.
The juxtaposition captures the tension at the heart of modern Canadian foreign policy. Engagement with illiberal-leaning governments is increasingly necessary for trade diversification, but it sits uneasily with the values-based foreign policy Canadians expect. Carney’s team will argue that raising concerns privately is more effective than lecturing publicly; critics will ask what, concretely, was achieved.
What it means for Canada
If the trade targets are met, the partnership could become one of the signature foreign-policy achievements of Carney’s tenure. The parliamentary debate over the visit’s direction showed how closely Ottawa is watching. For the provinces, which carry much of the export load, the economic stakes are tangible. Reuters’ reporting from the trip has the full details of the agreements signed.
