Canada's Minister of International Trade, Maninder Sidhu, and the Minister of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye met this week to accelerate and deepen the Canada-Türkiye trade and investment relationship.
To that end, the Ministers agreed to launch exploratory discussions toward a free trade agreement, a step that reflects the ambition of both countries to unlock the full potential of the commercial partnership.
The two countries had previously initiated formal exploratory talks, which took place between 2010 and 2013, allowing both sides to gain a better understanding of each other's approaches to free trade negotiations.
While there was not sufficient common ground to pursue comprehensive free trade negotiations at the time, the lines of communication between Canada and Türkiye remained open.
The Ministers have now agreed to exchange visits, with each Minister extending an invitation to visit the other's country. These visits will provide an opportunity to deepen dialogue, engage business communities, and identify concrete avenues for collaboration.