Canada drops export controls for Turkiye, including drone technology

Unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) Baykar Bayraktar TB3, domestically produced, performs fifth test flight, which it flew with the landing gear closed for the first time, in Istanbul, Turkiye on November 10, 2023. [BAYKAR/Handout – Anadolu Agency]

Canada said on Monday that it has dropped export controls to Turkiye for certain types of weapons, including drone optical technology, according to a notice posted online. The government said that from now on it would review all exports on a case-by-case basis.

The North American country suspended drone technology sales to Turkiye, a fellow member of NATO, in 2020 after concluding its optical equipment attached to Turkish-made drones had been used by Azerbaijan while fighting ethnic Armenian forces in Nagorno Karabakh, an enclave that Baku has since retaken.

Turkiye’s drone manufacturer Baykar is one of the world’s most successful producer of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). In July 2020, both Canada and Norway launched crowdfunding campaigns to buy Turkish drones for Ukraine following the invasion by Russia. Baykar’s deal to sell drones to Saudi Arabia was so lucrative that it made headlines in the US media when it was agreed last year.

READ: Turkiye-Azerbaijan boost the partnership for Europe’s energy security

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