By Sulaimon Jamiu
The government of Turkey has sent a letter to the United Nations, formally requesting that it be referred to as Türkiye with immediate effect, the state-run news agency has reported.
The action was said to be a part of a move made by the country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and all other concerned parties, to rebrand the country and dissociate it from the bird of the same name and negative connotations associated with it.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson to UN secretary general António Guterres, confirmed receiving of the letter from the Turkish foreign minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. The state-run agency quoted Dujarric as saying that the name change had become effective “from the moment” the letter was received.
Dujarric told the Washington Post: “It is not uncommon for us to receive such requests.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government has been pressing for the internationally recognised name Turkey to be changed to Türkiye (tur-key-YAY) as it is spelled and pronounced in Turkish. The country called itself Türkiye in 1923 after its declaration of independence.
In December 2021, Erdoğan ordered the use of Türkiye to better represent Turkish culture and values, including demanding that “Made in Türkiye” be used instead of “Made in Turkey” on exported products.
