OTTAWA, Oct 2 - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney plans to visit Turkey this month to meet President Tayyip Erdogan in what would be the first dedicated bilateral visit to the country by a Canadian leader, four sources with knowledge of the visit said.

One of the sources said Carney and Erdogan could discuss the free-trade talks they launched on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Ankara in July, as well as potential energy and defense cooperation. Canadian and Turkish trade ministers agreed this week to accelerate the talks ahead of the leaders' meeting, two sources said.

The visit would mark Carney's latest break with Canadian diplomatic convention as he seeks to reduce the country's reliance on the United States, by far its biggest trading partner, after a collapse in trade talks in August.

TRADE WAR

Carney has vowed to double Canada's non-US trade over the next decade and has rushed to establish ties with a host of countries, including China and India, with which it had past strains.

He has focused less on human rights than his predecessors to forge ahead, backed by polls showing strong support among Canadians for his efforts to reinforce the economy in the face of US tariffs.

Erdogan, Turkey's leader of 23 years — whom rights groups have criticized for a crackdown on the political opposition since 2024 — seeks new markets and collaboration for the regional military power's burgeoning defense industry. Erdogan says an independent judiciary is probing the opposition and rejects claims it is politically motivated.

Turkey, an emerging market economy whose biggest trading partner is the European Union, also seeks partnerships and investment in energy, infrastructure and mining.

The sources did not share the dates or agenda of the visit planned later this month.

Carney's office and Erdogan's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

LESS FOCUS ON RIGHTS