Canada cancels permits for drone technology sales to Turkey
Ottawa previously suspended the exports after Canadian components were used in the Nagorno-Karabakh war.
Canada’s government canceled authorizations for the export of drone technology to Turkey on Monday after an investigation found Ankara used Canadian weapons technology in last year’s war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh.
“Following this review, which found credible evidence that Canadian technology exported to Turkey was used in Nagorno-Karabakh, today I am announcing the cancellation of permits that were suspended in the fall of 2020,” Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau said in a statement.
“This was not consistent with Canadian foreign policy, nor end-use assurances given by Turkey,” Garneau said, adding that he spoke with Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
The Canadian government previously suspended the export of drone optical technology to Ankara in 2019 amid reports of Turkey’s widespread use of drones against Western-backed, Kurdish-led forces in northeast Syria.
