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Canada has resumed exports of drone parts to Türkiye, according to a statement made by Global Affairs, the country’s foreign ministry on Monday.
Canada suspended drone technology sales to Türkiye in 2020 after concluding its optical equipment attached to Turkish-made drones had been used by Azerbaijan while fighting ethnic Armenian forces in Karabakh, an enclave Baku has since retaken.
In the statement, the ministry said the “presumptive denial policy” for export of broker Group 2 items (Munitions List) is no longer in place.
“Export and brokering permit applications destined to Türkiye for all groups on the Export Control List and the Brokering Control List, including Group 2 items (Munitions List) – will now be reviewed on a case-by-case basis under Canada’s risk assessment framework, including against the Arms Trade Treaty criteria, which are enshrined in the Export and Import Permits Act under Section 7.3,” the statement said.
The resumption of exports came shortly after Türkiye approved the NATO membership bid of Sweden last week.
An agreement was reached in early January after months of talks between Türkiye and Canada, said one person familiar with the process. A second person familiar with the plan said the sides agreed it would take effect after Sweden’s ratification was complete.
Canadian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Charlotte MacLeod told Reuters last week that while the export controls currently remained in place, Ottawa aimed to resolve the issue with Türkiye given its status as a NATO ally.
“Canada and Turkey continue to engage in frank exchanges on our bilateral, economic and commercial relations,” she said.
Sweden’s lengthy bid process frustrated some NATO members over what they viewed as Türkiye’s transactional approach, which led to concessions from Stockholm and other allies regarding arms exports and counterterrorism measures.
While Ankara has called on Canada to lift the restrictions, it has also said that it will soon be able to produce the drone parts it imports, including optical equipment, on its own. Several countries, including Ukraine, Ethiopia and Pakistan, have bought Turkish drones after their battlefield successes.
