By Maria Cheng and Tuvan Gumrukcu
ISTANBUL, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Friday his team had raised issues over LGBTQ+ rights during meetings held with the Turkish government a day earlier, adding that Ottawa's engagement in partnerships did not mean approval of policies.
Carney, who is holding the first bilateral visit to Turkey by a Canadian leader, was speaking to reporters in Istanbul after agreeing with President Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara to upgrade ties to a strategic
partnership.
His visit comes amid a crackdown in Turkey targeting LGBTQ+ groups, which the government says aims to protect children and family values.
Turkey's crackdown on the opposition since 2024 and new arrests targeting the LGBTQ+ community since September have drawn criticism from rights groups and some European officials.
Ankara says the judiciary is independent, denying that investigations or court cases are politically motivated.
Carney has focused less on rights than his predecessors and has said that engaging with countries that Canada perceives as violating rights does not mean an endorsement of their policies.
"There are very few countries in this world that have the standards of Canada ... so that all Canadians can live their lives as they choose," Carney said.
"Because we're engaged, we are able to raise directly with the senior authorities in these countries how we view the world and what our expectations are."
He did not meet any leaders of LGBTQ+ or human rights groups while in Turkey.
(Reporting by Maria Cheng and Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Daren Butler and Alison Williams)
