TURKISH - CANADIAN RELATIONS

Introduction
Canada is a friendly country that knows and appreciates the sensitivity and importance of Turkey’s geopolitical position and her relations with the Western world, and has the same approach as Turkey on many international issues. Turkish-Canadian relations which have always made positive progress gained speed especially following visits made by the Canadian side in 2002 and 2003 and the resulting agreements which were signed. On the other hand, the Armenian Resolutions which were adopted by the Canadian Federal Parliament have prevented the further enhancement of our relations.

Establishment of Diplomatic Relations
The establishment of diplomatic relations between Turkey and Canada goes back to 1943. In June 1943, Turkey conveyed to Canada its desire to open an Embassy in Ottawa, Canada responded favorably, and the first Turkish Ambassador to Canada, Mr. Mehmet Ali Şevki Ilhan presented his credentials on March 6, 1944. His counterpart, Major General Victor W. Odlum, presented his credentials to the President of the Republic of Turkey on November 26, 1947, becoming the first Canadian Ambassador to Turkey. Following the opening of the Embassies, diplomatic relations between Turkey and Canada developed harmoniously.

The Evolution of Bilateral Relations and International Cooperation
In the course of the Cold War years, political relations between Turkey and Canada evolved mainly around military and security cooperation within the North Atlantic Alliance. The two allies have also been working side by side in pursuit of a more peaceful and stable world, cooperating within the UN and the OSCE frameworks. In this vein, they have taken part in various international peacekeeping operations. Canada had also participated in the UNFICYP (UN Force in Cyprus) with sizeable troops until 1993.

Since the establishment of the G-20 on 25 September 1999, the two countries found a common forum where they could discuss issues of global economy and finance in conjunction with the G-7 activities.

Inter-parliamentary Relations/Turkish-Canadian Friendship Group
The efforts towards establishing the Turkish-Canadian Inter-parliamentary Friendship Group began in 1993. The Canadian side of the said friendship group was initiated in June, 1996. Due to the elections in Turkey in November 2002, the Turkish side of the friendship group was renewed on March 8, 2003. The Canadian side of the group was also established in November 2003 with 30 members from the Senate and the House of Commons. However, in June 2004, after the general elections, the composition of the Canadian Parliament has changed.

Maurice Vellacott was elected as the Chairman of the Canadian side of the Turkish-Canadian Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group in October 2006.

Sinop Deputy Mr. Kadir Tıngıroğlu was elected as the Chairman of the Turkish side on March 25, 2008.

Political Consultations/Joint Cooperation Committee
Turkish-Canadian political consultations were last held in Ankara on November 29, 2002 between the Deputy Undersecretaries of the relative Ministries of Foreign Affairs. The Framework Agreement signed in May, 2003, foresees that the Joint Cooperation Committee which will be established will revive the political consultations mechanism.

The Turkish Community in Canada
It is estimated that the number of Turks in Canada has reached 50,000. A large number of these Turkish citizens are university graduates and have been integrated in the Canadian community. The first wave of migration to Canada from Turkey occurred between 1956-1975. The total number of associations for people with Turkish citizenship or of Turkish decent is 49. These associations are generally under the umbrella of the Federation of Canadian Turkish Associations and the Federation of Turkish Cypriot Associations.

Armenian Terror
There are approximately 80-100 thousand people in the Armenian community in Canada. The activities of the Armenian community against Turkey are the only factor that causes tension in our bilateral relations. In fact, the adoption of the So-called Armenian Genocide Resolution (M-380) by the House of Commons on April 21, 2004, despite all our warnings and efforts, opened the door to the beginning of a problematic period.

One of our Military Attaches died and one of our Trade Attaches was seriously injured as a result of Armenian terrorism in Canada. Furthermore, our Embassy has been stormed, during which our Ambassador was injured and a Canadian employee was killed. Consequently, the Canadian Government took precautions against Armenian terrorism.

Recent Visits

Due to the support of Canada to baseless Armenian allegations regarding the 1915 events, there has not been any high level visit between the two countries for a long time. On the other hand, Canadian Deputy Foreign Minister Ambassador Leonard J. Edwards visited Turkey on 26-27 May 2008 for political consultations.

Last update: 2008