OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to Ankara and Istanbul from October 21 to 23, his office announced Tuesday, for the first bilateral visit to Türkiye by a Canadian prime minister.

In Ankara, Carney is scheduled to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for discussions covering energy, mining, climate, defence and security. The Istanbul portion will focus on business leaders and investors.

The Prime Minister’s Office says the trip will promote opportunities in aerospace, advanced technology, critical minerals and other priority industries.

Two-way merchandise trade reached $4.3 billion in 2025, according to the government: $1.1 billion in Canadian exports and $3.2 billion in imports from Türkiye. Ottawa says bilateral trade has grown by almost 50 per cent over five years.

Carney attended the NATO summit in Ankara in July. During that visit, the two leaders announced negotiations toward a comprehensive free-trade agreement; Canadian public consultations concluded last month.

The distinction matters: October’s trip is a dedicated bilateral visit, rather than Carney’s first time in the country. The announcement sets out a diplomatic and investment agenda but does not announce a completed trade agreement.

For Canadian businesses, the next test will be whether the meetings produce concrete market-access or investment commitments.

Sources

Accompanying image: AI-generated editorial illustration, not a photograph of the event.