Canadian premier’s Türkiye visit to mark ‘beginning of a new strategic relationship’: Envoy

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney‘s visit to Türkiye will mark “the beginning of a new strategic relationship” between the two countries, Canadian Ambassador to Ankara Marcel Lebleu said Tuesday.

“It really marks the launching of a new relationship. The visit in itself is not an end in itself. I would say it’s actually the beginning of this strategic relationship,” he told Anadolu ahead of Carney’s Oct. 21–23 visit to Türkiye.

Lebleu said this vision was shared by Erdoğan and Carney, who have met twice previously.

Lebleu, who took up his post in Ankara in September, said the Canadian flag at his residence had been lowered to half-staff following a fire at the Wainwright military base in Alberta over the weekend that killed four service members and left several others injured.

The ambassador said it would be the first official visit to Türkiye by a Canadian head of government. He added that no Turkish president had previously made a state visit to Canada.

Recalling his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan when he presented his credentials, Lebleu said the talks had been productive and stressed the importance of strengthening bilateral ties.

“Türkiye is a country where we need to invest more. I’m not talking about economic investment, but investing more in our relation. We see a country in which we can create a strategic partnership,” he added.

ENERGY COOPERATION

Lebleu said the main objective of Carney’s visit was to formally launch a strategic partnership through a joint declaration by the two leaders.

An action plan would also be drawn up to advance cooperation in several areas, with energy among the key priorities.

“We’re going to explore how can we work together in terms of energy supply, which has become challenging for every country. Canada has lots of gas. We have to see how this can work,” he said.

He said the agenda would cover energy, nuclear cooperation, sustainable mining and the defense industry, describing it as “a really ambitious agenda.”

Lebleu identified defense cooperation as another key pillar, saying Canada sees “a great potential here.”

Referring to his visits to Turkish defense companies ASELSAN and BAYKAR, he said: “I was shocked. They have 10,000 engineers. I visited BAYKAR. BAYKAR’s average age of their worker is 29 years old. This is really young by any Canadian standard. They’re building those incredible assets.”

FREE TRADE TALKS TO BEGIN IN NOVEMBER

Lebleu said another key element would be the launch of negotiations on a Türkiye-Canada free trade agreement, with talks expected to begin in November, as previously announced.

The two countries would also sign an air transport agreement, he said, noting that an existing arrangement had already increased the number of weekly flights between them to 21.

Lebleu said Carney and Erdoğan had made clear that economic cooperation and building industrial sovereignty were key priorities, stressing that this could be achieved through partnerships.

“Sovereignty does not mean doing everything alone,” he said.

Flights currently connect Istanbul with Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, most of them operated by Turkish Airlines, Lebleu said. Canadian carrier Air Transat is scheduled to launch flights between Montreal and Istanbul on Oct. 29.

Carney will be accompanied by Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand and Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson, who are expected to meet their Turkish counterparts, the ambassador said.

The chief executive of Export Development Canada (EDC), the country’s official export credit agency, will also join the delegation.

Lebleu said EDC would sign a cooperation agreement with Türk Eximbank to help Canadian and Turkish companies work together in markets such as the Middle East and Africa.

Lebleu added that Canada expected to send a delegation of around 200 people to the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31), which Türkiye will host in Antalya in November.

CANADA URGES ISRAEL TO ‘STEP BACK’

“Israel has all the right to defend itself against terrorism and we condemn Hamas. But saying that, our position is also that Palestinians need to be recognized,” Lebleu said.

Canada recognized Palestine as a state in 2025 and continues to support a two-state solution, he said.

Referring to a statement issued in September by the leaders of France, the UK and Canada that described illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories as contrary to international law, Lebleu said Ottawa was pressing Israel to change course.

“We are making pressure on the government of Israel to step back on this,” he added.

Lebleu stressed that a peaceful solution was essential, adding that peace remained the only way forward despite differing perspectives.

Describing the humanitarian situation as “dire,” Lebleu said, “People are suffering,” and stressed the importance of the UN in addressing the crisis.

Canada has provided 500 million Canadian dollars in humanitarian aid through UN agencies since the conflict began and announced an additional 100 million Canadian dollar aid package for Palestinians in October, he added.

AMBASSADOR BEGINS LEARNING TURKISH

Lebleu said he was pleased to serve in Ankara, having previously held ambassadorial posts in Senegal, Colombia and Chile.

He said it was the first time in his diplomatic career that he had been posted to a country whose language he did not speak, adding that he had taken Turkish lessons before arriving.

“Turkish will be my fourth language,” he said, describing Turkish hospitality as being “another level.”

Asked about his favorite Turkish expression, he said: “Mashallah is my favorite one.”

He said he had noticed differences between Turks and Canadians in how they express themselves and their values.

Turkish people, he observed, appeared more attached to their families, while geography and regional identity also played an important role in Türkiye.