Mark Carney to Make First Canadian PM Visit to Turkey

Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to Ankara and Istanbul from October 21 to 23, 2026, marking the first dedicated bilateral visit to Turkey by a Canadian leader. In Ankara, Carney will meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to strengthen cooperation in defense, security, climate, energy, and mining. He will then travel to Istanbul to meet with investors and business leaders to promote Canadian aerospace and advanced technologies.

The visit is a central component of Carney's strategy to diversify Canada's economic ties and reduce reliance on the United States following the collapse of trade talks in August. The Treasury Board of Canada aims to double non-US trade over the next decade. To this end, the two nations launched free-trade agreement negotiations in July, and Turkey has agreed to become a founding member of Canada's Defence Security and Resilience Bank.

While Turkey is considering the purchase of Canadian nuclear-energy technology, the trip faces criticism from LGBTQ+ groups who argue Canada has not joined European peers in condemning Turkish raids on minority advocacy organizations. Relations have also been historically strained by Canada's Armenian diaspora and previous Canadian restrictions on military exports to Turkey.