Türkiye and Canada are working to elevate their ties to a strategic level, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said following his talks with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand in Ottawa, while Anand stated that Canada intends to use the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara to strengthen cooperation with Türkiye on defence and security.
Speaking at a joint news conference on Friday, Fidan said both NATO allies are seeking to unlock long-underutilised cooperation potential across trade, defence, energy and global diplomacy, noting Anand’s visit to Türkiye in March and describing their earlier talks as productive.
"There are major areas of cooperation between Türkiye and Canada that have not been fully realised for years," he said. "Despite being two major NATO allies, we have not advanced our potential in certain areas to the level we desire."
Fidan said Türkiye will host Prime Minister Mark Carney, Anand and Canadian Defense Minister David McGuinty at the NATO summit in Ankara in two weeks, and that Carney is also expected to soon visit Türkiye.
"This summit will truly be a historic one because international geopolitical conditions have reached a point where decisions taken by NATO member states will be even more decisive during this period. This is important not only for the future of the alliance, but also for the future of our region," he said.
He said leaders will discuss NATO’s future, including aligning strategic priorities, addressing transatlantic differences, threat perceptions and the alliance’s readiness.
'We are not taking our eyes off Gaza'
Alongside ties, Fidan said Türkiye and Canada exchanged views on major regional and global developments.
On the US-Iran ceasefire, Fidan welcomed the agreement and described its expansion to Lebanon as a positive step.
He stressed the need to ensure lasting, uninterrupted freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, saying Türkiye will continue contributing actively to US-Iran negotiations.
Fidan also warned that Israel must not be allowed to sabotage the process and urged all parties to act with caution and prudence.
Turning to besieged Gaza, he said Türkiye remains focused on the humanitarian crisis.
"We are not taking our eyes off Gaza," he said, accusing Israel of failing to fulfill its obligations and obstructing humanitarian aid deliveries.
Fidan reiterated Türkiye’s readiness to host renewed peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, stressing that Ankara wants the war to end through dialogue and in line with international law.
Free trade talks underway
Fidan announced that preliminary talks toward a Türkiye-Canada Free Trade Agreement have begun.
"Preliminary discussions on a Türkiye-Canada Free Trade Agreement have been launched between our relevant institutions. We aim to move this forward as soon as possible," he said.
He said both sides expect a trade deal to significantly increase the trade volume and create new opportunities for economic cooperation.
Fidan said energy cooperation, particularly in nuclear energy, emerged as a major area of strategic opportunity.
Referring to his visit to the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station in Toronto with Anand, Fidan said Türkiye closely examined Canada’s technological capabilities in conventional nuclear power and small modular reactors (SMRs).
Fidan highlighted Canada’s progress in SMR technology, saying it had particularly impressed Ankara and could pave the way for strong Türkiye-Canada cooperation in nuclear energy.
Türkiye has also made substantial progress in its long-term nuclear energy strategy and is continuing efforts for a second and third nuclear power plants, he said, describing the strategic alignment with Canada in this area as highly important.
He added that both countries also see strong cooperation potential in critical minerals and liquefied natural gas.
Asked whether Canada’s special residency and work permit measures for Turkish citizens following the February 6, 2023, earthquakes were discussed, Fidan said visa, work permit and migration-related issues were comprehensively addressed during the talks with Anand.
Anand on ties with Ankara
Responding to Anadolu's question regarding the July 7 - 8 summit in Ankara, Anand said, "This summit, in particular, is highly anticipated because of the focus on the defence industry, and in particular the way in which NATO allies will and must work together from an industrial standpoint in order to integrate supply chains and ensure interoperability, as well as the accruing economic benefits that will result from that activity."
"We will be together not only to grow our bilateral relationship but our relationship on defense and security matters as well," she said at the news conference.
She noted the Defense Security and Resilience Bank as one example of how NATO allies would pursue that goal, adding that Canada is "very much" looking forward to attending the summit.
Anand and Fidan met in Ottawa to advance what she described as "four strategic pillars" of the Canada-Türkiye relationship: trade and investment, energy and critical minerals, defence and security, and people-to-people ties.
On trade, she said technical discussions toward a possible Canada-Türkiye free trade agreement are underway, and noted that two-way trade reached $4.3 billion last year.
She said the two sides expanded their air transport agreement, with Turkish Airlines set to add flights to Toronto and Montreal this summer, and Air Transat launching direct service between Montreal and Istanbul in the fall.
