Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney will be visiting Türkiye for a three-day official trip on Oct. 21, his office said Tuesday.
Carney, who will be the first Canadian leader to make a bilateral trip to Türkiye, will visit the capital, Ankara and Istanbul. He will be holding bilateral talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to advance bilateral partnership, his office said.
In Istanbul, he will meet with the Turkish business community and investors to highlight Canada's position as an important partner in trade and investment.
"The Prime Minister will emphasise opportunities to expand that growing trade relationship in priority sectors, including energy, aerospace, advanced technologies, and mining and critical minerals," his office said.
The visit is expected to mark Carney's latest effort to diversify Canada's economic ties as he seeks to reduce the country's reliance on the United States, by far its largest trading partner, following the collapse of trade talks in August.
Carney has vowed to double Canada's non-U.S. trade over the next decade and has moved to strengthen ties with a range of countries, including China and India.
Türkiye, whose largest trading partner is the European Union, is also seeking new partnerships and investment in energy, infrastructure and mining, while expanding opportunities for its growing defense industry.
No Canadian prime minister is known to have made a standalone bilateral visit to Türkiye in recent decades, though Canadian leaders have met Erdoğan and other Turkish officials on the sidelines of multilateral gatherings, including NATO and G20 summits hosted by Türkiye.
