Turkish foreign minister to visit Canada ahead of NATO summit

(Horizon Media / OTTAWA) – Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand will welcome Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to Canada on June 25 and 26 for talks aimed at strengthening ties between the two NATO allies.

The meeting follows Anand and Fidan’s most recent discussions in Ankara in March and comes ahead of the NATO Summit, set to take place in the Turkish capital on July 7 and 8. The ministers are expected to discuss NATO priorities, Russia’s war against Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East and opportunities for expanded economic engagement in energy, defence, aerospace and mining.

The visit marks Fidan’s first bilateral trip to Canada since becoming foreign minister in June 2023. It also comes as Ottawa and Ankara continue efforts to rebuild a relationship strained in recent years by serious defence export concerns.

Canada suspended and later cancelled certain military export permits to Turkey after Canadian-made WESCAM targeting systems were found to have been used on Turkish drones in conflicts abroad, including during the 2020 Artsakh war. The episode raised lasting questions in Ottawa about Turkey’s use of Canadian technology and its reliability as a defence partner.

Despite those tensions, Canada and Turkey remain NATO allies and maintain broad commercial ties. In 2025, two-way merchandise trade reached $4.3 billion, including $1.1 billion in Canadian exports and $3.2 billion in imports from Turkey.