According to the state-run news agency, Turkey’s government has formally requested that it be referred to as Türkiye in a letter to the United Nations. The decision is considered part of Ankara’s effort to rebrand the country and distance it from the bird of the same name and the bad connotations it carries.
According to Anadolu Agency, Stephane Dujarric, UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ spokeswoman, acknowledged receipt of the letter from Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt avu?olu. Dujarric stated that the name change became official ‘from the minute’ the letter was received. ‘ It is not unusual for us to receive such inquiries,’ Dujarric told the Washington Post.
The administration of President Recep Tayyip Erdoan has been pushing for the globally recognised name Turkey to be changed to Türkiye (tur-key-YAY), as it is spelled and spoken in Turkish. Following its declaration of independence in 1923, the country renamed itself Türkiye. Erdoan ordered the usage of Türkiye to better reflect Turkish culture and values in December 2021. This included requiring that ‘Made in Türkiye’ be used instead of ‘Made in Turkey’ on exported items. Turkish ministries began using Türkiye in official correspondence as well.
This year, as part of its efforts to change its name to English, the government published a promotional film. The film has travelers from all around the world exclaiming ‘Hello Türkiye’ at well-known locations. According to the Turkish presidency’s communications office, the campaign was started ‘to more effectively promote the use of ‘Türkiye’ as the country’s national and international name on international platforms.’
It was unclear whether the name, which has a letter that does not present in the English alphabet, would be popular elsewhere. The Czech Republic formally registered its short-form name, Czechia, in 2016, and while it is used by certain international agencies, many still refer to the country by its longer name. TRT World, Turkey’s English-language state broadcaster, has shifted to Türkiye, while the name Turkey occasionally appears, as journalists adjust to the transition.
In an earlier article, TRT World explained the decision. It said that Googling ‘Turkey’ brings up ‘a muddled set of images, articles, and dictionary definitions that conflate the country with Meleagris – otherwise known as the turkey, a large bird native to North America. This bird is famous for being served on Christmas menus or Thanksgiving dinners’.
‘Flip through the Cambridge Dictionary and ‘turkey’ is described as ‘something that fails miserably’ or ‘a dumb or silly person,’ the network stated. Turks prefer the name Türkiye because it is ‘in keeping with the country’s goals of choosing how others should recognize it’.
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