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. Save Share 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. 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....