Canada and Turkey are on the verge of signing an important agreement during Mark Carney's visit, the Prime Minister of Canada, to Ankara. This agreement is designed to strengthen defense and energy relations between the two countries and is expected to include economic and social dimensions as well.
Main Points of the Agreement
The agreement will include advancing free trade negotiations between the two countries and emphasize the establishment of committees in all areas to develop operational plans. According to obtained information, Carney, as the Prime Minister of Canada, is visiting Turkey exclusively for the first time and will meet with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of Turkey, in Ankara on Thursday. It is also planned for Carney to meet with Turkish business leaders in Istanbul on Friday.
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Development of Energy and Defense Relations
The Turkish Minister of Energy, Alparslan Bayraktar, stated in remarks to the media that discussions related to energy, especially nuclear energy, will be among the main focuses of Carney's visit. Ankara anticipates that energy negotiations will also include potential Turkish purchases of liquefied natural gas from Canada and critical minerals. In this context, a working group will be established to examine the feasibility of the Canadian CANDU company's proposal to build a nuclear power plant on the shores of Turkey's Black Sea.
Turkey has also been in discussions with the Canadian engineering company AtkinsRealis as well as Korean and Chinese companies regarding its planned nuclear power plants. In 2024, Canada lifted restrictions on arms exports to Turkey, including optical technologies used in drones that Turkey exports to dozens of countries, to improve bilateral relations.
Carney is also expected to meet with officials from defense companies and those active in the energy sector in Turkey, including Çelik Holding and Sabancı Holding. While Sabancı Holding has refrained from commenting on this matter, Çelik Holding has not responded to media inquiries.
Turkish defense analysts believe that the policies of former U.S. President Donald Trump towards Canada have created opportunities for closer cooperation in the production of munitions, drones, and maritime systems, but they warn that major agreements are unlikely to materialize in the short term.
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