The key facts

  • Mark Carney is making the first official bilateral visit by a Canadian prime minister to Türkiye (Wednesday–Friday): meetings with Erdogan in Ankara and with business in Istanbul.
  • The sides aim for trade turnover of $7–8 billion in the short term and $10 billion after a free trade agreement; last year it exceeded $2.7 billion.
  • Canadian investments in Türkiye stand at CAD 3.3 billion, Turkish investments in Canada at CAD 233 million; tourist flow from Canada in 2025 grew 6.1% to 321,271 people.

First bilateral visit by a Canadian prime minister

Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney is making the first official bilateral visit by a Canadian leader to Türkiye. The visit will run from Wednesday to Friday. In Ankara, Carney will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss political, diplomatic and defense cooperation, after which he will travel to Istanbul for meetings with representatives of Turkish business operating in aviation, advanced technologies and critical minerals.

Context of free trade negotiations

The visit follows the diplomatic momentum achieved at the NATO summit in Ankara in July, when Türkiye and Canada began negotiations on a free trade agreement. In June, Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat and Canada's Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu discussed the energy sector and nuclear energy initiatives as areas of cooperation.

Trade goals and current figures

The sides are targeting short-term bilateral trade turnover of $7–8 billion and a long-term goal of $10 billion after the successful conclusion of a free trade agreement. According to Anadolu, total trade between the countries last year exceeded $2.7 billion, including $1.5 billion in Turkish exports to Canada and $1.1 billion in Canadian exports to Türkiye.

Export structure

In 2025, the largest category of Turkish exports to Canada was boilers, machinery, mechanical appliances and tools — $158.7 million, followed by ferrous metals ($104.4 million) and products made from them (about $97.1 million). In January–August 2026, exports of machinery and equipment amounted to $96 million, aluminum and products made from it — $73.8 million, fresh fruits and nuts — $49.5 million.

Investments and tourism

According to Statistics Canada, investment ties are asymmetric: direct Canadian investments in Türkiye at the end of 2025 amounted to CAD 3.3 billion ($2.3 billion), while Turkish investments in Canada were only CAD 233 million ($165.8 million). In the tourism sector, the number of Canadian visitors to Türkiye in 2025 grew 6.1% year on year to 321,271 people, and in the first eight months of 2026 it rose 2.9% to 209,176.