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Canadian Ambassador to Ankara Marcel Lebleu said Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to Türkiye on 21-23 October will be the first state visit to the country by a Canadian government leader and can be described as the start of a new strategic relationship.

Speaking to an Anadolu Agency correspondent about the trip and life in the Turkish capital, Lebleu said the visit aims to formally launch a strategic partnership through a joint statement by the two leaders, alongside an action plan covering energy, defence industry cooperation and free trade talks.

A first state visit, sealed with a joint statement

Lebleu, who began the Ankara posting in September, said Carney will travel to Türkiye with a delegation for the 21-23 October visit. The ambassador called the trip historic, noting that no Canadian government leader has previously paid a state visit to Türkiye and that no Turkish president has visited Canada either. "This symbolizes the start of a new relationship. I can describe it as the beginning of a new strategic relationship," Lebleu said.

The main objective, Lebleu said, is to formally launch a strategic partnership, which would begin with a joint statement issued at leaders' level. Lebleu described Türkiye as a country Canada should invest in more, clarifying that this meant investing further in the relationship rather than in financial terms, and said Canada views Türkiye as a country with which it can build a strategic partnership. That view, Lebleu added, matches the vision of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Carney, who have already met twice.

While presenting credentials, Lebleu said, a productive meeting with Erdoğan took place. Separately, Lebleu recalled that four soldiers died and many people were injured in a fire over the weekend at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta, which is why the Canadian flag at the ambassadorial residence was lowered to half-mast.

Energy, defence and trade pillars

An action plan will accompany the partnership, with energy one of the areas of cooperation, Lebleu said. The two countries' energy ministers are to issue a joint statement, and the sides will assess how they can work together on energy supply, an issue that has become difficult for every country. Lebleu said Canada holds substantial natural gas resources and that the two sides will look at how that could work, while also addressing nuclear energy cooperation and sustainable mining. "We have a rather ambitious agenda," Lebleu said.

Defence industry cooperation at the industrial level forms the second pillar of the visit, according to Lebleu, who said the field holds major potential. Recalling visits to drone manufacturers and platform assembly facilities, Lebleu said: "I was amazed when I visited ASELSAN, they seemed to have 10,000 engineers. I visited BAYKAR, where the average age of the employees was 29." Lebleu said that is young by Canadian standards and that the companies are developing incredible assets, adding that an agreement will also be signed in what will likely be the most important pillar.

The other pillar is the launch of negotiations on a Canada-Türkiye free trade agreement, previously announced and scheduled to begin in November. Lebleu also said an air transport agreement, ATA, will be signed; an existing deal has already raised the number of weekly flights between the two countries to 21. Services run from Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver to Istanbul, most of them operated by Turkish Airlines, and Air Transat will launch Montreal-Istanbul flights on 29 October.

Delegation, export credit and COP31

Foreign Minister Anita Anand and Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hodgson will accompany Carney and meet their counterparts. The chief executive of Export Development Canada, the country's official export credit agency, will also take part and sign a cooperation agreement with Turkish Eximbank. "This will enable Canadian and Turkish companies to work together, for example in regions such as the Middle East or Africa," Lebleu said.

Türkiye is due to host the 31st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP31, in Antalya in November, and a Canadian delegation of around 200 people is expected to attend, Lebleu said.

Canada urges Israel to step back on settlements

On the Israeli-Palestinian issue, Lebleu said Israel has a full right to defend itself against terrorism and that Canada condemns Hamas, while also holding the view that the Palestinians must be recognized. Lebleu said Canada took that step by recognizing Palestine as a state in 2025 and continues to back a two-state solution. The United Nations is a central platform on the matter, Lebleu said, noting that Canada discussed the situation there with a group of countries at the UN General Assembly last month.

Lebleu said Canada announced a new C$100 million aid package for Palestinians in October, its first contribution to those relief efforts, and has provided C$500 million in humanitarian aid through UN agencies since the conflict began. "The humanitarian situation there is extremely dire. The situation is very bad, people are suffering," Lebleu said, adding that the UN must play a key role and that the issue can be resolved through multilateral efforts. Referring to a September statement by the leaders of France, the United Kingdom and Canada on settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories that are illegal under international law, Lebleu said: "We are pressuring the Israeli government to step back on this issue." Lebleu said the only way forward is peace.

Settling into Ankara

Lebleu said serving in Ankara is a pleasure and previously served as ambassador to Senegal, Colombia and Chile. For the first time in a career, Lebleu said, the posting is in a country whose language is not spoken, which is a difficult process, because nuances are lost without the language. "I had served in Latin America before, I know Spanish. I speak French and English. Turkish will be my fourth language," Lebleu said.

Before coming to Türkiye, Lebleu took two weeks of Turkish lessons and ate künefe with the teacher at a Turkish restaurant in Montreal. "Both sweet and slightly salty... quite rich and filling, I felt completely full after eating it," Lebleu said, adding that lentil soup is a favourite as the weather cools. On first impressions of Ankara, Lebleu said the city's buildings feel European and somewhat like the structures Canadians are used to seeing at home, and observed that Turkish people are more attached to their families than Canadians, with a strong sense of where they come from. "People here say, 'I come from this city, I come from that city,' carrying a strong sense of belonging about their origins. In Canada, people are much more mobile and can easily settle from one place to another," Lebleu said.

Key takeaways

• Prime Minister Mark Carney's 21-23 October visit to Türkiye will be the first state visit by a Canadian government leader to the country, Ambassador Marcel Lebleu said.
• The two sides plan to launch a strategic partnership with a joint statement and an action plan covering energy, defence industry cooperation and free trade negotiations starting in November.
• Lebleu highlighted visits to ASELSAN and BAYKAR as evidence of the potential in defence cooperation, and noted an air transport agreement raising weekly flights between the two countries to 21.
• On the Israeli-Palestinian issue, Lebleu said Canada supports a two-state solution and is pressing Israel to step back on settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.