Carney heads to Turkey to sign energy and defence agreements

Prime Minister Mark Carney leaves Wednesday on a three-day trip and will be the first Canadian prime minister to make a bilateral visit to Turkey, a NATO ally.

Ankara

Carney meets President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Thursday, and the two leaders are to give an update on talks toward a Canada-Turkey free trade deal.

What Canada wants to sell

• CANDU nuclear reactors
• Liquefied natural gas
• Critical minerals

Canada hopes to sell Turkey CANDU nuclear reactors, liquefied natural gas and critical minerals; Turkey plans to add 20 gigawatts of nuclear power by 2050.

Defence talks are expected to cover drones and naval co-operation; in 2024, Canada lifted export controls on Turkey, including on optical technology used in drones.

And us?

The trip is part of Ottawa's push to rely less on trade with the United States during the trade war with Washington; Carney meets business leaders in Istanbul on Friday.