Canada-Türkiye relations
Bilateral relations
Canada and Türkiye have longstanding diplomatic relations. In 1944, Türkiye opened an Embassy in Ottawa and in 1947, Canada appointed its first Ambassador to Türkiye. In recent years, as friends and allies, Canada and Türkiye have expanded the depth and variety of their bilateral links as valued political, commercial, strategic, and security partners. Canada welcomes a vibrant Turkish diaspora community of over 65,000, the majority of whom are concentrated in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, Hamilton, Calgary and Edmonton.
Trade relations
Türkiye is an emerging market of broad interest to Canada. In 2023, two-way merchandise trade was over $4 billion. Canadian merchandise exports totalled $1.228 billion in 2023 while imports from Türkiye added up to $2.847 billion. In 2023, Canada’s top exports to Türkiye were lentils and chickpeas ($491M), iron and steel waste and scrap ($137M), and coal ($58M). In 2023, Canada’s top imports from Türkiye were iron and steel products ($100M), fishing vessels ($90M), and carpets ($73.9M). The stock of Canadian direct investment in Türkiye, mostly in the mining sector totalled $420M in 2023.
Opportunities exist for Canadian companies, particularly in the agriculture, energy, information and communication technologies, life sciences, transportation, cleantech, mining, education, and infrastructure sectors. In 2019, Canada and Türkiye held the first Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) meeting in Istanbul. The Canada-Türkiye JETCO is a forum that aims to enhance economic relations, strengthen cooperation in trade and investment, increase commercial cooperation and promote a favourable environment for private sector investment between our countries.
On December 31st, 2023, there were 5,750 Turkish citizens holding valid study permits in Canada. This represents an increase of 17% over 2022.
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Operations
Türkiye and Canada's Armed Forces have enjoyed a longstanding cooperation. They are both committed to defending democratic values and global security within the framework of international law and global security. Both military forces are excellent partners in the multilateral sphere and work together well within NATO.
Partnerships and organizations
To develop effective responses to today’s most pressing global challenges, Canada and Türkiye work closely in multilateral fora, such as:
- G20
- International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
- Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
- Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
- Pacific Alliance
- United Nations (UN)
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
- World Trade Organization (WTO)
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