Canada drops ban on military exports to Turkey

OTTAWA: Canada announced Monday it would no longer bar certain arms exports to Turkey, a move that comes approximately a week after Ankara ratified Sweden’s NATO membership.

Permits for military items and certain types of weapons destined for Turkey “will now be reviewed on a case-by-case basis,” the Canadian government said in a notice to exporters.

It declared that the denial policy on exports was “no longer in place.”

Canada officially blocked military arms exports to Turkey in April 2021 after a probe found Canadian drone technology exported to Turkey had been used by Azerbaijan in clashes with Armenia.

The export ban affected some 30 permits and applied to a wide variety of military goods and technologies including components for the production of aircraft, software and technical data for flight simulators, satellite equipment and firearm components.

Canada will now require that Turkish importers provide assurances about the weapons’ use as well as a government statement “clearly indicating whether the items will be re-exported or transferred to a non-NATO country.”

Canada additionally “has broad authority to suspend or cancel permits,” the notice said.

The move comes less than a week after Turkey’s parliament ratified Sweden’s membership in the NATO defense alliance, following initial objections and more than a year of delays.

After Ankara’s ratification, the US government approved a $23 billion deal to sell F-16 warplanes to Turkey.

However, the Armenian National Committee of Canada on Monday condemned the move in a statement.

“This decision has raised alarming concerns within the Armenian-Canadian community, as it compromises Canada’s commitment to human rights, international security, and justice,” it said.