Canada to deepen NATO ties in Türkiye, then visit Saudi Arabia

Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to Türkiye this week for the 2026 NATO summit before continuing to Saudi Arabia for high-level talks, as Ottawa moves to strengthen defense partnerships and expand trade ties with both allies. Carney will attend the annual gathering of the Western military alliance's 32 member states in Ankara from July 6 to 8, according to an official statement released on Tuesday.

At the summit, Carney is expected to bolster Canada's contributions to the alliance, forge new partnerships with allies, and build shared security frameworks, including continued support for Ukraine's defense, the statement noted.

Saudi Arabia visit

From July 8 to 10, Carney will travel to Saudi Arabia for a bilateral visit with Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler, marking the first trip by a Canadian prime minister to Riyadh in 26 years. The leaders will discuss expanding cooperation in energy, critical minerals, defense infrastructure and investment, officials said.

The visit will focus on boosting two-way investment in mining, artificial intelligence, clean technology, agriculture, tourism and life sciences. It represents a significant thaw in relations between Ottawa and Riyadh after years of diplomatic tensions.

Defense investment

Carney said that "Canada is rebuilding, rearming, and reinvesting in the Canadian Armed Forces," noting that Ottawa has delivered the largest increase in defense investment in a generation. "We've met our NATO defence expenditure targets for the first time since the fall of the Berlin Wall, and we are building a dense web of new partnerships," he added.

The prime minister stated that "Canadian leadership is no longer defined by just the strength of our values, but also by the value of our strength," underscoring the shift in his government's strategic posture. Canada has committed to meeting the alliance's target of spending two percent of GDP on defense.