Canada cancels Turkey export permits for drone tech

PanARMENIAN.Net - Canada has cancelled export permits to Turkey for drone technology, the foreign affairs department announced, after a government review found that Canadian-made systems had been used by Azerbaijan in the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, Al Jazeera reports.

In a statement on Monday, April 12, Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau said the review “found credible evidence” that Canadian technology was used during six weeks of fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia in fall 2020.

In early October, Canada suspended the export permits to Turkey after reports surfaced that the Azerbaijani military, which was backed by Ankara, was using drone imaging and targeting sensor systems manufactured by a Canadian company.

“This use was not consistent with Canadian foreign policy, nor end-use assurances given by Turkey,” Garneau said in the statement.

He also said he spoke with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, to open a dialogue “to build mutual confidence and greater cooperation on export permits”.