OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney is returning to Turkiye later this month as he seeks to boost trade and defence ties with a country with rising importance. Carney was in Turkiye for the NATO summit in July, and his office says he will again visit the country from Oct. 21 to 23. He will start in Ankara to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, where talks will focus on energy and mining, climate, defence and security as well as interpersonal ties, Carney’s office says. Carney will then head to Istanbul to meet with Turkish business leaders and investors, focused on energy, aerospace, advanced technologies, and mining and critical minerals. The visit comes amid rising criticism from LGBTQ2S+ groups over Canada’s decision not to join European peers in criticizing raids on Turkish organizations that advocate for minorities. Canada is negotiating a trade agreement with Turkiye, with bilateral trade increasing 50 per cent in the past five years and as Turkiye mulls buying Canadian nuclear-energy technology. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 6, 2026. Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press
