In the last year, Canada has signed more than 20 trade deals as part of Mark Carney’s push to double non-US exports in the next decade. (EPA Images pic)ANKARA: Prime Minister Mark Carney will meet President Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey on Thursday, marking the first bilateral visit by a Canadian leader, as he seeks to deepen trade with other "middle powers" and ease dependence on the US.

Carney and Erdogan are expected ‌to sign a declaration deepening cooperation in four areas including defence and energy, a person briefed on the matter said.

Carney is on a global trade blitz that he hopes will help buffer Canada from a trade war with the US, where President Donald Trump has applied sweeping tariffs and questioned the neighboring country's sovereignty.