Carney to Visit Turkey This Week as Canada and Turkey Prepare Joint Declaration on Defence, Energy and Trade
OTTAWA — Canada and Turkey are expected to sign a joint declaration deepening cooperation in defence, energy, the economy and social and diplomatic ties during Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to Turkey later this week, a person briefed on the matter told Reuters. The declaration is also expected to advance bilateral free trade talks, with committees to be established in each area to draft action plans.
Carney will be the first Canadian prime minister to make a dedicated bilateral visit to Turkey. He is set to meet Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Thursday and Turkish business leaders in Istanbul on Friday. At a Canadian government briefing on Tuesday, officials declined to confirm what specific declarations or agreements might be signed, saying Carney would meet Erdogan "to advance cooperation in trade and investment, energy, defence and security and people-to-people ties."
The meetings with Turkish companies on Friday are meant to promote bilateral trade and investment, a Canadian official said, adding that Ottawa is most interested in Turkey's aerospace, defence, energy, mining, high-tech and agriculture sectors. Talks may also include nuclear power and liquefied natural gas, Reuters reported.
The visit is part of Carney's efforts to reduce trade dependence on the United States and strengthen partnerships with regional powers amid a damaging trade war with Washington. Turkey's presidency and Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 渥太华国会山中央大楼。图片：© DXR / CC BY-SA 4.0，Wikimedia Commons
