No more Turkey: country in push to be known as 'Turkiye'

Turkish officials sent a letter to the United Nations formally requesting that the country be referred to as “Turkiye”.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has sent a letter to the United Nations formally requesting that his country be referred to as “Turkiye,” the state-run news agency reported. The move is seen as part of a push by Ankara to rebrand the country and dissociate its name from the bird, turkey, and some negative connotations that are associated with it.

Anadolu Agency said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, confirmed receipt of the letter late on Wednesday. The agency quoted Dujarric as saying that the name change had become effective “from the moment” the letter was received.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has been pressing for the internationally recognised name Turkey to be changed to “Turkiye” (tur-key-YAY) as it is spelled and pronounced in Turkish. The country called itself “Turkiye” in 1923 after its declaration of independence.

ALSO READ | Video shows several men attacking Turkish woman in Pakistan's Lahore

In December, Erdogan ordered the use of “Turkiye” to better represent Turkish culture and values, including demanding that “Made in Turkiye” be used instead of “Made in Turkey” on exported products. Turkish ministries began using “Turkiye” in official documents.

Earlier this year, the government also released a promotional video as part of its attempts to change its name in English. The video shows tourists from across the world saying “Hello Turkiye” at famous destinations.

The Turkish presidency's Directorate of Communications said it launched the campaign “to promote more effectively the use of 'Turkiye' as the country's national and international name on international platforms.”