Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Oct. 23 that Ottawa is “in need of Turkish expertise” to strengthen its defenses and reduce reliance on foreign military systems.
Speaking to reporters in Istanbul a day after meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara, Carney said Canada was interested in both Turkish military technology and joint industrial partnerships, with an emphasis on developing capabilities together.
“I would lean towards the partnership end of the spectrum, where we’re providing complementary technology and we’re building up together,” Carney said.
He was more direct when asked whether Canadian companies could benefit from closer ties with Türkiye’s established defense industry, particularly its expertise in drones and autonomous systems.
“Candidly, we’re in a position where we’re more in need of Turkish expertise in terms of reinforcing what we need to do to protect Canadians and to serve as a full NATO ally at this stage,” he said.
Pointing to the consequences of disruptions to Ukraine’s Starlink satellite service, Carney warned that relying on a single provider could put a country’s security at risk.
Canada will maintain controls on arms exports and dual-use technologies, he said, adding that officials would be clear about how those rules apply as the two countries explore opportunities for cooperation.
Carney described Türkiye as “a unique country,” possessing a “deep history” while being “cutting-edge modern,” adding that the country has a lot of innovation when it comes to autonomous vehicles and drones.
“Türkiye is a formal partner of Canada in NATO, and one of the most important geostrategic countries, not just in this region but in this world,” he said.
Underlining that Türkiye produces nearly 80 percent of its defense needs domestically, Carney noted that there are lessons in this for Canada, in terms of establishing this caliber of defense industry.
