Canada and Turkey forge trade and defense deals as Carney looks beyond US

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a “strategic partnership” Thursday as Canada seeks to reduce its dependence on the United States.

The two leaders oversaw the signing of three cooperation agreements covering the defense industry, transportation and energy. They also announced the start of negotiations on a free trade agreement.

“We have taken a historic step toward the future of our relations,” Erdogan said after the signing ceremony. “Elevating our relations to the level of a strategic partnership will not remain merely on paper; it will not be a merely symbolic step.”

Carney has sought to diversify Canada’s partnerships amid an escalating trade war with the U.S. after President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian goods. The dispute has been marked by Canadian retaliation and statements by Trump questioning Canada’s sovereignty.

“No country, whatever it’s blessed with, no country builds strength alone,” Carney said. “The most resilient countries bring together complementary strengths, with trusted partners.”

Carney is making the first bilateral visit to Turkey by a Canadian prime minister, although he traveled to Ankara in July for the NATO summit. He is scheduled to visit Istanbul on Friday for talks with Turkish business groups.

In a sign of improving ties, Canada lifted its ban on the export of weapons to Turkey in 2024. It had imposed the restrictions following Turkey’s military incursions into Syria and over Turkey’s support for Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia, including providing equipment that used Canadian-made parts.

“Allies must be able to rely on each other for equipment and capabilities that keep us safe," Carney said.

“Today’s new agreement on defense industry partnership will connect Canadian and Turkish companies to work together, creating good jobs at home, export opportunities abroad, greater security for our citizens and contributing to a stronger NATO alliance,” he added.

Erdogan said both countries hope to increase annual bilateral trade volume from around $3 billion to $5 billion initially, and then to $10 billion.

Turkey plans to build a second nuclear power plant on its Black Sea coast, in addition to one under construction by Russia’s Rosatom on the Mediterranean coast. Canada has expressed interest in participating in the project.

Amnesty International on Thursday urged Carney to raise human rights concerns during his trip.

His visit comes amid an intensified crackdown on Turkey’s opposition. Authorities have arrested journalists and activists, including LGBTQ rights defenders, and installed a government-appointed administrator to run a popular opposition-aligned television station.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who is considered to be a main rival to Erdogan, has been imprisoned for over a year on corruption charges he denies. Hundreds of party members and elected officials have also been detained in a crackdown critics say is designed to cripple Turkey’s largest opposition group. Erdogan's government insists Turkish courts operate independently.

“As the judiciary is increasingly used to silence dissent and suppress critical voices, a clear message emerges: speaking out can come at a heavy price,” Amnesty's Turkey director, Ruhat Sena Aksenir, said in a statement.

“Canada must not treat human rights as secondary in the negotiations. Sustainable partnerships depend on accountability and respect for the rule of law,” she added.

Carney did not raise the issue in public.

Earlier, mounted cavalry units escorted Carney’s vehicle to the sprawling Turkish presidential compound, where a welcoming ceremony was held. Erdogan and Carney then proceeded to a palace building for bilateral talks.

Prime Minister Mark Carney sits on stage and listens during a joint news conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, Turkey on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. (Adrian Wyld /The Canadian Press via AP)

Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, looks on as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reads his statement in Ankara, Turkey on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. (Adrian Wyld /The Canadian Press via AP)

Prime Minister Mark Carney and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan take to the stage for a joint statement in Ankara, Turkey Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. (Adrian Wyld /The Canadian Press via AP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan looks on as Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during a joint-statement in Ankara, Turkey on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. (Adrian Wyld /The Canadian Press via AP)

FILE - Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pose for a photo during the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Thursday that the Trump administration remains “full-bore ahead” with a sweeping reorganization of the Forest Service and other agencies after a judge blocked the changes last week.

The administration wants to move Forest Service headquarters from Washington to Salt Lake City, shutter 23 research stations, and close many regional offices and replace them with state offices. It's part of a broader realignment at the Agriculture Department that also would change programs for food and nutrition, rural development and other services.

For now the plan is stalled under court order. But that's already under appeal, and Rollins made clear Thursday that the administration hasn't given up.

“We are full-bore ahead in the reorganization,” Rollins said during a conference call with reporters following an announcement on fertilizer production. “We believe in it more today than we ever have — taking the USDA to our constituents, which is rural America, the Forest Service out West.”

Administration officials say the reorganization will trim costs and further concentrate resources in Western states that are home to nearly 90% of national forest lands.

Federal employee unions, environmental groups and local officials, including in California, Maryland and Washington state, are trying to quash the plan. They say the shuffling of employees is a ploy to achieve the administration's goal of deep cuts in the workforce.

U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in California sided with those arguments in an Oct. 13 order halting the reorganization while a lawsuit from opponents works its way through the courts.

“If implemented, the planned reorganization activities will likely put thousands of USDA employees to the choice of relocating far from their current home — often to a different state — or losing their job,” Chhabria wrote. He said the administration “almost certainly” violated congressional restrictions on using money on the reorganization that was intended for other purposes.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has been eliminating layers of management as part of President Donald Trump’s push to slim the federal workforce and make it more efficient.

Trump also wants to take away one of the Forest Service's most prominent roles — fighting wildfires — and transfer responsibility to the new federal Wildland Fire Service. Congress so far has blocked that move.

With wildfires getting worse in recent decades due to climate change, battling them has consumed a greater share of the Forest Service budget. That's forced officials to look for cost savings elsewhere.

It's not clear how much the reorganization will actually save, said Chris Iverson, who spent almost three decades at the Forest Service before retiring from a leadership position during Trump's first term. Yet Iverson said the changes could result in the loss of personnel with extensive experience, including battling wildfires.

He added that the elimination of regional offices and creation of state offices could open the door to more influence by governors pushing the interests of the timber, oil and gas and grazing industries.

“It's just going to be a closer alignment of Forest Service leadership with state government priorities,” Iverson said.

Gov. Spencer Cox in Utah has described the Forest Service reorganization, including a new headquarters in Salt Lake City, as “a big win for Utah and the West.” GOP lawmakers said it would ensure agency officials get more local input.

The administration last month scaled back part of its plan and said 41 research facilities across the country that faced possible closure would remain open. Almost two dozen research stations still are slated to close.

The Forest Service workforce has been cut about 16% under Trump, from more than 39,000 employees to 33,000, according to government data.

During his first term, Trump moved the Bureau of Land Management to Colorado, citing many of the same reasons — including a desire to put top officials closer to the public lands they oversee. The Biden administration reversed course, moving BLM headquarters back to Washington, D.C., after two years.

The National Federation of Federal Employees union said a survey of Forest Service workers showed a large majority opposed the pending reorganization plan and most were unwilling to relocate.

FILE - Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins speaks with reporters at the White House, Aug. 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

In this photo taken with a phone, golden larches glow in the sunlight in Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, near Mazama, Wash., Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)