Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Turkey on a two-day visit on Thursday, October 22, the aim of which is to strengthen economic and strategic ties between the countries. The visit comes after Ottawa lifted a ban on arms exports to Turkey in 2024, which was also imposed due to Ankara's military support for Azerbaijan in the conflict with Armenia, Associat reports. ed Press. Carney will hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials in Ankara, then travel to Istanbul, where he will meet with Turkish business representatives. This is the Canadian Prime Minister's first bilateral visit to Turkey, although Carney already visited Ankara in July to participate in the NATO summit. The main purpose of the visit is the expansion of cooperation and the preparation of strategic partnership. As Canadian Ambassador to Turkey Marcel Lebloux stated in an interview with Anadolu State Agency, the parties intend to formalize the new partnership with a joint declaration of the leaders. The talks will cover energy, nuclear industry, sustainable mining and defense. In addition, the countries will discuss the possibility of concluding a free trade agreement. "We are here to take our partnership to a new level, to open access to a market of more than 85 million people and to create new economic opportunities for our employees and companies," said X on the social network. Carney came. The visit takes place in the conditions when the Canadian government seeks to diversify foreign economic ties and reduce dependence on the United States. Relations between Ottawa and Washington have been complicated by a trade conflict, US tariffs on Canadian goods and Canada's retaliatory measures. US President Donald Trump's statements, which questioned Canadian sovereignty, caused additional tension. According to Carney's office, bilateral trade between Canada and Turkey has increased by 50% in the last five years. Ottawa intends to develop cooperation in the fields of energy, aerospace, leading technologies, mining and extraction of strategic minerals. At the same time, the visit is accompanied by calls to pay attention to the human rights situation in Turkey. On Thursday, Amnesty International called on Carney to raise this issue during the negotiations. Human rights activists point to the strengthening of pressure on the opposition, the arrests of journalists and activists, including LGBT rights defenders, as well as the authorities' involvement in the work of opposition media. The diligence. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, one of Erdogan's main political rivals, has been in custody for more than a year on corruption charges he denies. "Canada should not put human rights in the background during the negotiations. A sustainable partnership requires accountability and respect for the rule of law," said Ruhat Sena Aksenir, director of Amnesty International in Turkey. In 2024, Canada lifted restrictions on arms exports to Turkey that were imposed after Turkish military operations in Syria and Ankara's support for Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia. Ottawa stated that it fears that Canadian components can be used in the military equipment involved in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.