L3Harris WESCAM in the spotlight as Canada freezes arms exports to Turkey
Equipment export suspension closes off one of the Canadian defence industry’s most lucrative markets
Canadian defence equipment exports to Turkey have been suspended amid support from Ankara for Azerbaijan in the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne announced the ban on 5 October amid the escalating conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, in which Turkey is providing materiel support for Azerbaijan.
Champagne added that the government will take time ‘to further assess the situation’.
Canada froze exports to Ankara in 2019 following the Turkish invasion of Northern Syria, although this suspension was lifted in May 2020.
Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 UCAVs (example pictured) are being used by Azeri forces in the conflict against Armenia; the UCAV
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