Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a strategic partnership with Türkiye that will deepen co-operation in defence, energy and joint ventures with the country of 87 million, globeandmail.com reports.
Mr. Carney stood with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Bestepe Presidential Complex in Ankara to unveil a three-year action plan the two leaders said will “fundamentally deepen and elevate” relations between Canada and Türkiye including “expanding political dialogue,” trade, technological development and common security.
Türkiye is the latest stop in the Prime Minister’s drive to reduce reliance on the increasingly protectionist and unpredictable United States under Donald Trump – a challenge Mr. Carney indirectly referenced Thursday when he said Canada these days is seeking “reliable partners.”
The Canadian pact also provides legitimacy to Mr. Erdogan, who critics say is responsible for Türkiye’s democratic backsliding into an autocracy. The U.S. watchdog Freedom House scores Turkey as 32/100 on its civil liberties index, or “not free,” saying the President and his party “have become increasingly authoritarian in recent years, consolidating significant power through constitutional changes and by imprisoning opponents and critics.”
The Prime Minister announced that Export Development Canada, which helps finance and insure Canadian exporters, will sign an agreement with counterpart Turk Eximbank to help companies in both countries undertake joint ventures in foreign markets. The focus will be on energy, mining and critical minerals, infrastructure and transportation, Mr. Carney said.
The two leaders said an air transport agreement being finalized will raise the allowable volume of weekly passenger flights between Canada and Türkiye to 21 from 12, with no limit on cargo flights.
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