Canada cancels arms exports to Turkey

The Canadian government announced Tuesday that it has cancelled permits to export weapons and military technology to Turkey after finding that the equipment ended up in the hands of the Azeri army, diverted by Turkey without Ottawa's consent, during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, according to the Canadian foreign ministry.

Foreign Minister Marc Garneau recalled in the statement that Canada suspended the export of high-tech military equipment in October following the opening of the investigation into Turkey's transfer of weapons with Canadian technology to Azerbaijan. "Those suspensions followed the decision to cancel the issuance of new export permits to Turkey in the fall of 2019, following its military incursion in northeastern Syria," the minister added. Canada therefore reaffirms its position on the matter.

The minister said the decision was in response to Turkey's violation of the terms of its contract with the North American country. Garneau was self-critical: "This use was not consistent with Canadian foreign policy, nor with the end-use assurances given by Turkey". "Turkey is an important NATO ally and requests related to NATO cooperation programmes will be assessed on a case-by-case basis," he added.

The drones were instrumental in tipping the balance in Azerbaijan's favour in its dispute with the Armenian Army, according to defence experts. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights raised the alarm in November over indiscriminate attacks by Armenia and Azerbaijan on populated areas of Nagorno-Karabakh, warning that they could constitute war crimes. 

During and after the conflict, both Azerbaijan and Armenia made serious allegations against each other, but Canadian authorities say there is no credible evidence that UAVs equipped with Canadian sensors have been used by Azerbaijan to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law. For their part, Armenian soldiers claimed that the Azeri drones were equipped with materials produced by L3 Harris WESCAM in Burlington, Ontario.

The Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently published the full documentation of the investigation, conducted by Global Affairs Canada with the support of the Department of National Defence. The report provides, in the words of the minister, "credible evidence that Canadian technology exported to Turkey was used in Nagorno-Karabakh".

One of the points the Canadian authorities denounce is the Turkish government's transfers of Bayraktar TB2 UAV drones, probably equipped with Canadian sensors, to the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. These, the report states, "could be interpreted as inconsistent with the end-use assurances provided to the Government of Canada in March 2020". "It is also highly likely that the Turkish government deployed TB2 UAVs in support of the GNA in Libya, but there is insufficient credible evidence to confirm whether these UAVs were equipped with Canadian sensors," the document adds.

However, the report has not shown clear evidence of irregular use of Canadian weaponry. The document states that 'the Department [of National Defence] is not in a position to confirm the diversion of Canadian military goods and technology exported to Turkey'. However, it notes that certain actions by the Turkish government "could be interpreted as inconsistent with the end-use assurances provided to the Government of Canada in March 2020".

"The Department assesses that, overall, there is no substantial risk that Canadian exports of military goods and technology to Turkey will undermine peace and security, either domestically or regionally," the report concludes. Nor does it indicate that these constitute acts of terrorism, or to commit or facilitate offences under international conventions and protocols relating to transnational organised crime.

The Canadian Foreign Ministry maintains its support for Turkey, as a NATO ally, with respect to the activities of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). In the document, it also notes that Turkish forces have been using unmanned aerial vehicles, "probably with Canadian equipment", in their fight against the PKK inside Turkey. "Turkey is also an important partner in the fight against terrorism and participates in the Global Coalition against Daesh, as well as in the NATO Mission in Iraq".

Marc Garneau, Canada's foreign minister, conveyed the executive's decision in a letter. Garneau himself held a conversation with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlüt Çavusoglu, in which they agreed on "a mechanism for dialogue between Canadian and Turkish officials to build mutual trust and greater cooperation on export licences".

Turkey, however, has been unhappy about the Canadian government's decision. Ankara has denounced Canada's alleged hypocrisy, as it continually sends arms to Saudi Arabia despite its role in the Yemen war and its record of human rights violations. Çavusoglu demanded his Canadian counterpart reverse the move, and the Turkish embassy in Ottawa warned Turkey's allies to "avoid unconstructive steps that would negatively affect our bilateral relations and undermine alliance solidarity," said a statement from the Turkish embassy in Ottawa. 

Canada has expressed concern about "democratic backsliding" in Turkey. The North American country has denounced the government's attempts to repress the opposition and freedom of expression, restrictions on the media and arbitrary arrests. However, the research includes that "despite human rights challenges, Turkey is a country with strong democratic institutions and a culture of continued democratic resistance".