Merve Aydogan
27 June 2026•Update: 27 June 2026
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said Friday that the NATO summit in Ankara is "highly anticipated," and that Canada and Türkiye will use it to deepen their ties and cooperation on defense and security.
Responding to Anadolu's question regarding the July 7 - 8 summit, Anand said, "This summit, in particular, is highly anticipated because of the focus on the defense industry, and in particular the way in which NATO allies will and must work together from an industrial standpoint in order to integrate supply chains and ensure interoperability, as well as the accruing economic benefits that will result from that activity."
"We will be together not only to grow our bilateral relationship but our relationship on defense and security matters as well," she said at a news conference in Ottawa alongside her Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan.
She noted the Defense Security and Resilience Bank as one example of how NATO allies would pursue that goal, adding that Canada is "very much" looking forward to attending the summit.
Anand and Fidan met in Ottawa to advance what she described as "four strategic pillars" of the Canada-Türkiye relationship: trade and investment, energy and critical minerals, defense and security, and people-to-people ties.
On trade, she said technical discussions toward a possible Canada-Türkiye free trade agreement are underway, and noted that two-way trade reached $4.3 billion last year.
She said the two sides expanded their air transport agreement, with Turkish Airlines set to add flights to Toronto and Montreal this summer, and Air Transat launching direct service between Montreal and Istanbul in the fall.
On energy, Anand said she and Fidan visited the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station on Thursday, and she delivered a letter from Canada's energy minister expressing interest in expanding nuclear cooperation with Türkiye.
"Canada is a global leader in nuclear technology, and we see significant opportunities to work together to advance not only energy security but also economic growth and clean energy development," she said.
Describing Türkiye as "a valued NATO ally," Anand said defense and security cooperation between the two countries would continue to grow.
On Canada's diplomatic presence in Iran and Venezuela, Anand said there are no plans to open embassies in either country, pushing back on suggestions that Prime Minister Mark Carney's recent remarks signaled a policy shift.
She said Italy has been serving as an interlocutor with Iran, given the absence of diplomatic relations, while consular support for Canadians in Venezuela is handled through Canada's mission in Bogota, Colombia.
"We do not have plans to open an embassy in Iran or Venezuela at the current time," she said.
Anand also said the meeting demonstrated a shared commitment to deepening the Canada-Türkiye partnership.
"In short, the friendship between Canada and Türkiye is growing in the right direction," she said.
