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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomed visiting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney with a formal ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara. Cavalry units escorted Carney's vehicle along the avenue in front of the complex to the protocol gate before Erdoğan greeted the Canadian guest at the main entrance.

Carney said the trip was the first bilateral visit by a Canadian prime minister to Turkey and that Ottawa wanted to take the partnership to a higher level. The two leaders were expected to hold one-on-one and delegation-level talks followed by a joint press conference.

Carney seeks deeper partnership

Writing on his account on the US-based social media platform X, Carney posted footage of his arrival in the capital with the message that he had reached Ankara. He described the trip as the first bilateral visit by a Canadian prime minister to Turkey and said: "We are here to take our partnership to a higher level."

Carney said Canada wanted to increase access to Turkey's market of more than 85 million people and create new economic opportunities for workers and businesses in both countries. He was then expected to move on to Istanbul after the Ankara program.

Key takeaways

• President Erdoğan welcomed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney with a formal ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara.
• The event included a 21-gun salute, the two national anthems and a cavalry escort for Carney's vehicle.
• Carney called the trip the first bilateral visit by a Canadian prime minister to Turkey and aimed to raise the partnership to a higher level.
• The leaders were set to hold one-on-one and delegation-level talks followed by a joint press conference.