Thank you very much, Mr. President. Distinguished colleagues. Members of the press.
As the President just alluded to, this is a historic day for Canada – the first bilateral visit to Türkiye by a Canadian Prime Minister.
Thank you, Mr. President, for your invitation, for the warm welcome that you and the Turkish people have extended to me and my delegation, and for the partnership which we are launching today.
Before I touch on the details of that partnership, just a few words of context.
Earlier today, I paid my respects at Anıtkabir, where Türkiye honours the founder of this republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
The monument is surrounded by Peace Park. In the years following the Second World War, nations from around the world, including Canada, sent trees to grow side by side.
Today, that park stands as a living symbol of friendship between nations and their shared hope for peace. And it reminds us that the strongest partnerships take root over time. They are nourished by mutual respect, by steady commitment, and by common purpose.
Today, that purpose matters more than ever.
We are in the midst of a rupture. The old order is not coming back. The institutions that have ensured our security and prosperity for decades are under threat.
In the face of this new reality, Canada is building its strength at home so it can take control of its future – its economy, its energy, its security, and its way of life.
But no country, whatever it’s blessed with, builds strength alone.
The most resilient countries bring together complementary strengths with trusted partners. Our goal isn’t self-sufficiency. It is collective resilience. That’s why Canada is building deeper partnerships with reliable partners that create new opportunities. And in Türkiye, we have an exceptional partner.
Türkiye is one of the world’s most dynamic economies, with a market of more than 85 million people. It sits at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and has a network of 24 free trade agreements. It has NATO’s second-largest standing military and one of the world’s most important and innovative defence industries.
In the past five years, trade between our two countries has grown by almost 50%. But as the President emphasised to me, and I wholeheartedly agree, we have barely begun to tap our true potential. When we met here in July for the NATO Summit, we committed to launch negotiations toward a free trade agreement and signed a new framework for defence cooperation.
Today, we are going further by launching our Strategic Partnership, backed by a three-year action plan.
That plan rests on four pillars: trade and investment, defence and security, energy, and the ties between our peoples.
We begin with trade.
Next month, our negotiators will sit down here in Ankara for the first round of free trade talks. Our objectives are clear: more trade between businesses to build more prosperity between our peoples.
By lowering costs, cutting barriers, and creating greater certainty, we will open new doors for companies and investors in both countries.
We are also bringing our businesses closer together to create new trade and investment opportunities. Export Development Canada and Türk Eximbank will sign a new agreement to help Canadian and Turkish companies work together on projects in third countries, particularly in the energy, infrastructure, transportation, mining, and critical minerals sectors.
Tomorrow, in Istanbul, I will meet with Turkish business leaders and investors. And next year, Minister Sidhu will lead a Canadian trade mission in Türkiye to help Canadian businesses seize these opportunities.
In a more dangerous and divided world, Allies must be able to rely on each other for the equipment and capabilities that keep us safe. Here, too, our strengths are complementary.
Today’s new agreement on defence industry partnerships will connect Canadian and Turkish companies to work together, creating good jobs at home, export opportunities abroad, greater security for our citizens – and contributing to a stronger NATO Alliance.
That security cooperation goes deeper. Türkiye’s influence extends broadly. As a major G20 economy and a key NATO Ally, Türkiye is playing a central role in efforts to resolve some of the world’s most difficult conflicts, from Ukraine to Gaza, Iran, the Middle East more broadly, and beyond.
True security also depends on energy.
Canada is becoming an energy superpower. Türkiye’s economy is booming and it needs a secure and reliable energy supply. We have a lot to offer – from LNG to civilian nuclear technology, clean energy, and critical minerals, which will be central to the economy of the future. Today, our energy ministers agreed to work together in all of these areas.
President Erdoğan, I commend your leadership at COP31 with its ambitious and pragmatic emphasis on aggressively growing clean energy and reducing waste. You can count on Canada as an enthusiastic partner to raise global climate ambition and action.
In the end, every partnership comes down to people.
And so today, we are formalising an air transport agreement to increase passenger flights from 12 a week to 21, with no limit on cargo flights. Our discussions suggested we could go even further than that – and we will. That will mean easier, more affordable travel for families visiting loved ones, for students and tourists exploring new worlds, and for businesspeople seeking new markets.
And of course, holding together that relationship is trust and regular interaction. More frequent meetings between our ministers, including our foreign ministers meeting consistently as part of our Strategic Dialogue.
Trade that opens new markets. Defence industries that keep us safe. Energy that powers our economies. And people to bring it all together. That’s what today is about.
To finish where I started, with context: at the end of one world order, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk built a secure, sovereign nation guided by his creed: peace at home, peace in the world.
In this time of rupture, Canada honours that example: strength at home, partnership abroad.
Mr. President, more than 70 years ago, Canada sent maple trees to grow beside Anıtkabir, as a gesture of peace and friendship between our nations.
Today, these trees stand amongst 48,000 others from over 20 nations.
Today, we’ve planted the seeds of something new: a strategic partnership that will create new opportunities for our workers and businesses, and greater security and prosperity for both our peoples. And with our efforts, for other peoples in this region and more broadly.
With care and commitment, that partnership will grow for generations to come.
Yurtta sulh, cihanda sulh.
Thank you.