Turkey has told the United Nations that, at the behest of its president, it wishes from now on to be called “Türkiye” in all languages, the United Nations announced Thursday.
“The change is immediate,” Stephane Dujarric, the U.N. chief’s spokesperson, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) by email.
He noted that Ankara’s official letter requesting the change had been received at the U.N.’s New York headquarters on Wednesday.
The day before, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu had tweeted a photo of himself signing the letter, addressed to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
“With the letter I sent to the U.N. Secretary-General today, we are registering our country’s name in foreign languages at the U.N. as ‘Türkiye,'” he wrote.
BREAKING: #Turkey has now officially changed its name to the Republic of Turkiye.
The change of name was lodged & registered with the United Nations today.
International protocol will now require all UN member countries to refer to Turkey as Turkiye. pic.twitter.com/STVV8m3L1S
— TurkishFacts4u (@TurkishFacts4U) May 31, 2022
He added that the change would help “increasing the brand value of our country,” an initiative started by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has led the country for almost two decades.
Over the past few years, the country has sought to change the branding on its products from “made in Turkey” to “made in Türkiye.”
In addition to making the U.N.’s nomenclature match how the nation is spelled in Turkish, the update would also help distinguish the country from the bird of the same name in English.
Turkey’s move to change its official name to “Türkiye” at the U.N. following a request by Ankara has received wide media coverage in the international press.
It’s known as 'Turkey' in international diplomacy, but – because a North American bird also bears that moniker – President Erdoğan is pushing for a name change. His country is to be called 'Turkiye'. pic.twitter.com/ONVricHfqx
— Abdulkadir Nasidi (@Babanasidi01) June 1, 2022
Anadolu Agency (AA) first announced that the U.N. had registered “Türkiye” as the country’s new name.
The Associated Press, NPR, CBS, Al Jazeera, France 24, Canberra Times, WBTV, Greek newspaper Kathimerini, Greek City Times, Muslim News Nigeria, and many websites announced the news, citing Anadolu Agency.
“The name change may seem silly to some but it puts Erdoğan in the role of protector, of safeguarding international respect for the country,” Georgetown University professor Mustafa Aksakal was quoted as saying in The New York Times.
The newspaper also noted that the move comes ahead of next year’s presidential election as well as the centenary of the nation’s founding after the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire.
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