Mark Carney Visits Turkey In Push To Ease Canada’s U.S. Commerce Dependence

ANKARA, Oct 22 (Reuters) – Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney will meet President Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey on Thursday, within the first bilateral go to by a Canadian chief, as he seeks to increase commerce ties and cut back reliance on the United States.

Carney and Erdogan are anticipated to signal a declaration deepening cooperation in 4 areas together with defence and vitality, an individual briefed on the matter mentioned. A Turkish diplomatic supply mentioned the bilateral ties will likely be upgraded to a “strategic partnership.”

Carney is on a world commerce blitz that he hopes will assist buffer Canada from a commerce battle with the U.S., the place President Donald Trump has utilized sweeping tariffs and questioned the neighboring nation’s sovereignty.

Carney’s aircraft landed within the Turkish capital Ankara at 0800 GMT and he was set to fulfill Erdogan on the presidential palace round 1200 GMT.

NATO member Turkey is in search of new financial backing and collaboration for its burgeoning protection business, new nuclear energy crops and mining sector.

Carney’s workplace mentioned the go to goals “to place Canada as a key companion in commerce and financial backing”. He is predicted to fulfill with distinguished Turkish corporate affairs leaders through the journey, the Turkish diplomatic supply mentioned.

Concrete potential steps that might be taken on commerce, investments, protection business, safety and vitality will likely be mentioned through the journey, the Turkish supply mentioned.

Although commerce between Canada and Turkey is tiny – Turkey accounted for lower than 0.3% of Canada’s complete merchandise commerce or C$4.34 billion ($3.09 billion) – bilateral commerce has risen by practically 50% previously 5 years.

“This journey is a part of the geopolitical necessity of signaling to Americans that we’re not sitting round ready for them,” mentioned Bessma Momani, professor of political science on the University of Waterloo.

In the final yr, Canada has signed greater than 20 commerce offers as a part of Carney’s push to double non-U.S. exports within the subsequent decade. He flew to Beijing in January to reset fractured relations with China, hanging a deal that slashed tariffs on electrical automobiles and canola.

Despite criticism that China is a safety threat, given Canadian authorities beforehand discovered China had interfered in at the very least two federal elections, Carney has described China as a “extra predictable” buying and selling companion than the US.

However, Canada nonetheless sends practically 70% of exports to the US.

Turkey’s crackdown on the opposition since 2024 and arrests focusing on the LGBTQ+ group have drawn criticism. But Carney has centered much less on rights than his predecessors.

“Carney should stroll a really advantageous line in Turkey between opening new financial prospects for Canada whereas making an attempt to take care of Canada’s center energy position in combating for equality,” mentioned Anna Agathangelou, a professor of politics at York University.

Ankara says the judiciary is impartial, denying that investigations or court docket circumstances are politically motivated.

At the NATO leaders’ summit in July, Carney and Erdogan launched negotiations for a free-trade settlement, the place Turkey additionally agreed to hitch Canada’s Defense, Security and Resilience Bank as a founding member.

Turkey has held talks with Canadian engineering agency AtkinsRealis in addition to South Korea’s Korea Electric Power Corporation and China’s State Power Investment Corporation about probably constructing its deliberate second and third nuclear energy crops.

In 2024, Canada eliminated weapons-export controls on Turkey, together with on optical know-how utilized in drones that Turkey exports to dozens of countries. Canada primarily exports lentils, plane and electronics to Turkey, and imports medical gadgets, fishing vessels, plane engines and jewellery.

($1 = 1.4052 Canadian {dollars})

(Reporting by Maria Cheng; Editing by Jonathan Spicer, Humeyra Pamuk, Daren Butler, Elaine Hardcastle)