OTTAWA--Canada and Turkey say they launched talks toward a free-trade treaty between the two countries, as Prime Minister Mark Carney seeks new markets to reduce the economy's reliance on the U.S.

According to a joint statement, the two countries said this reflects their interest in deepening economic ties. Negotiators will begin work in the coming months to define the scope of an agreement. "Both governments look forward to working together to advance a high-quality agreement that strengthens the Canada-Turkey partnership and creates new opportunities for prosperity for businesses, workers and people in both countries," they said in the statement.

Two-way annual trade between the countries is in the $3 billion range, according to Canada government documents.

The announcement was made on the sidelines of the summit of leaders from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Turkey's capital, Ankara. Also on Tuesday, Canada said Turkey agreed to join the Canadian-led Defence Security and Resilience Bank, along with seven other countries.

Write to Paul Vieira at paul.vieira@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 07, 2026 10:25 ET (14:25 GMT)

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