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Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said energy cooperation was among the main agenda items during Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's historic visit to Ankara, where the two countries signed a joint statement covering nuclear energy, LNG supply, renewable power and mining.

Bayraktar held talks with Canadian Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson before the leaders' meeting and later greeted Carney at Ankara Airport.

Bayraktar meets Canadian counterpart

According to a statement from the ministry, Bayraktar received Hodgson at the ministry for one-on-one and inter-delegation talks. Writing on social media afterwards, Bayraktar said the two sides discussed steps to expand cooperation in energy and mining.

"Nuclear energy was at the centre of our agenda, given its strategic place in Turkey's long-term energy supply security," Bayraktar said. "We focused on assessing the applicability of Canada's CANDU reactor technology in our country and on developing technical cooperation in that direction." He added that Turkey wants to diversify its technology options, strengthen engineering capability and grow its industry's share of the nuclear value chain as it builds up nuclear capacity.

LNG trade, renewable energy investment and mining were also on the agenda, Bayraktar said, adding: "We aim to turn the two countries' experience and investment potential into partnerships that benefit both sides." He later welcomed Carney at Ankara Airport and accompanied the Canadian delegation on its visit to Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

Joint statement signed at presidential complex

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received Carney at a ceremony at the Presidential Complex. Erdoğan and Carney held one-on-one talks and chaired the inter-delegation meetings. During the visit, the two countries' energy ministers signed a joint statement on developing cooperation in nuclear energy, LNG supply, renewable energy and mining. The document was exchanged during the signing ceremony for the agreements, in the presence of the two leaders.

Framework for nuclear power, LNG and mining

In the joint statement, the ministers said the global energy sector is going through a deep transformation and committed to building bilateral cooperation on the complementary strengths of Canada and Turkey, aimed at strengthening both energy sectors' resilience to those changes. They pointed to nuclear technology's role in reinforcing energy security, supporting economic growth and meeting clean energy targets. Both sides welcomed exploring possible cooperation in civil nuclear energy based on Canadian technology and agreed to expand dialogue among public institutions, regulators, research and technical bodies and industry representatives.

The statement also drew attention to Canada's growing LNG export capacity in light of global supply gaps and the effect of rising prices on energy costs. The two sides agreed to facilitate discussions between Canadian LNG project developers and potential long-term buyers.

Bayraktar hopes for concrete projects

Bayraktar wrote on social media that the document sets out a comprehensive framework for cooperation in nuclear energy, LNG supply, renewable energy and mining, and that the two countries expressed their will to increase mutual investment and forge new partnerships between their companies.

Bayraktar said Canada's expanding LNG export capacity and nuclear expertise, together with Turkey's growing energy market and investment goals, offer significant opportunities for long-term cooperation. He noted that at a time when geopolitical tensions are reshaping energy flows and market uncertainty and supply chain vulnerabilities are rising, long-term ties with reliable partners carry greater weight. He said he hopes the cooperation areas in the statement turn into concrete work in the coming period that benefits both countries.

Key takeaways

• Bayraktar and Canadian Minister Tim Hodgson discussed nuclear, LNG, renewable energy and mining cooperation in Ankara.
• The two energy ministers signed a joint statement exchanged in the presence of Erdoğan and Carney.
• The statement covers assessing Canada's CANDU reactor technology for use in Turkey and facilitating LNG supply talks.
• Bayraktar said the framework should translate into concrete projects benefiting both countries.