Ankara: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Turkiye on Thursday for a two-day visit seeking to forge a new partnership as Canada looks to reduce its dependence on the United States.
Carney is making the first bilateral visit by a Canadian prime minister to Turkiye, although he travelled to Ankara in July to attend the NATO summit. He is scheduled to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials before travelling to Istanbul for talks with Turkish business groups as the two countries seek to deepen trade ties.
The Canadian prime minister has sought to diversify partnerships and reduce reliance on the United States amid an escalating trade war with US President Donald Trump, marked by US tariffs on Canadian goods, retaliatory measures by Canada and statements questioning Canadian sovereignty.
In an interview with Turkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency, Canada's Ambassador to Turkiye, Marcel Lebleu, said this week that the visit's main purpose was to “launch a strategic partnership through a joint declaration by the two leaders.”
Talks would focus on cooperation in energy, nuclear plants, sustainable mining and the defence industry.
The two countries would also hold negotiations on a free-trade agreement, he said.
Turkiye is looking to build a second nuclear power plant on the Black Sea coast, in addition to one currently being built by Russia's Rusatom on the Mediterranean coast.
Mounted cavalry units escorted Carney's vehicle to the sprawling Turkish presidential compound, where a welcoming ceremony was held. Erdogan and Carney then proceeded to a palace building for bilateral talks.
On Thursday, Amnesty International called on Carney to raise human rights concerns during his trip.
Carney's visit comes as Turkish authorities intensified a crackdown on the opposition, arrested journalists and activists including LGBTQ rights defenders, and installed a government-appointed administrator to run a popular television station aligned with the opposition.
The mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, considered a main rival to Erdogan, has been imprisoned for over a year on corruption charges he denies. Hundreds of party members and elected officials have also been detained in a crackdown critics say is designed to cripple Turkiye's largest opposition group. Erdogan's government insists Turkish courts operate independently.
“As the judiciary is increasingly used to silence dissent and suppress critical voices, a clear message emerges: speaking out can come at a heavy price,” Amnesty's Turkiye director, Ruhat Sena Aksenir, said in a statement.
“Canada must not treat human rights as secondary in the negotiations. Sustainable partnerships depend on accountability and respect for the rule of law,” she added.
In a sign of improving ties, Canada lifted its ban on the export of weapons to Turkiye in 2024. It had imposed the restrictions following Turkiye's military incursions into Syria and over Turkiye's support to Azerbaijan in its conflict against Armenia, including providing equipment that used Canadian-made parts.
A statement from Carney's office said two-way trade between Turkiye and Canada increased by 50 per cent in the past five years.
It said that during the visit, Carney will emphasise opportunities “to expand that growing trade relationship in priority sectors, including energy, aerospace, advanced technologies, and mining and critical minerals.”