Following an agreement reached in early January, Canada is poised to recommence the export of drone components to Turkey, pending the latter’s completion of Sweden’s NATO membership ratification process, as reported by Reuters on Friday.
This development comes after Canada imposed export controls in 2020 due to concerns about the use of its optical equipment in Turkish drones during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
However, Turkey’s use of drones in its operations against Kurdish forces and in cross-border incursions into Kurdish-populated regions in Iraq and Syria has also raised concerns, particularly regarding the impact on civilian populations.
While Turkey’s commitment to providing detailed end-user information of Canadian equipment is seen as a step towards transparency, sceptics question the efficacy of these measures in mitigating the adverse effects of military operations on civilians.
The agreement’s effectiveness in ensuring accountability and preventing misuse of Canadian drone technology in conflict zones remains a point of contention among observers, who caution against the potential humanitarian implications of resuming arms exports without stringent oversight mechanisms.
