Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is scheduled to make an official visit to Turkey later this month, according to sources familiar with the matter. The trip, expected to occur in mid-October and be relatively brief, aims to strengthen economic ties between Ottawa and Ankara following a period of diplomatic tension under Carney’s predecessor.

While Canadian premiers have frequently traveled to Turkey to attend international summits, it is unusual for such a visit to focus solely on bilateral relations. The forthcoming trip marks a significant step in repairing relations that deteriorated in 2021 after Turkey reportedly redirected Canadian-manufactured airstrike targeting equipment to support Azerbaijan in drone strikes against Armenian forces. This development prompted Canada to impose a rare ban on arms exports to Turkish recipients, despite Turkey’s status as a NATO ally. The embargo was lifted in early 2024.

Turkey, with a population exceeding 87 million, holds strategic importance as a regional power due to its control of the only maritime passage connecting the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. Its geographic location, bridging Europe, the Middle East, and the Caucasus, grants Ankara considerable influence over regional conflicts and diplomatic initiatives.

The planned visit aligns with Carney’s approach to foreign policy, which he has described as “values-based realism,” reflecting a pragmatic effort to deepen engagements with countries such as Turkey, India, and China. This stance marks a shift from the previous Canadian government’s focus on human rights issues and concerns over foreign interference, which sometimes strained relations with these nations.

Concerns over Turkey’s democratic trajectory persist among Western governments and human rights groups. Following an attempted coup in 2016, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government undertook widespread purges, detaining thousands of military personnel and dismissing or suspending roughly 100,000 public sector workers, including teachers accused of supporting Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based cleric opposed to Erdogan.

Despite these concerns, Canada and Turkey initiated free-trade agreement negotiations in July, signaling a willingness to expand economic cooperation. University of Ottawa professor Thomas Juneau views Carney’s initiative as a strategic effort to diversify Canada’s economic partnerships beyond its traditional reliance on the United States. He describes Turkey as a significant regional actor and a NATO ally whose importance has sometimes been underestimated by previous Canadian administrations.

Professor Juneau acknowledges Turkey’s democratic challenges, referring to its political system as a “competitive autocracy” rather than a fully functioning democracy. He suggests that Carney’s government has chosen to engage with Turkey despite these issues, prioritizing pragmatic interests over democratic ideals. Juneau characterizes this posture as “realism” more than “values-based realism,” indicating some skepticism about the role that values play in the current Canadian foreign policy framework.