UN to now use 'Türkiye' instead of 'Turkey' after Ankara request

NEW YORK: Following a request from Ankara, the United Nations has renamed the Republic of Turkey to 'Türkiye' under its organisational structure.

According to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, the Turkish foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, wrote to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday, requesting that 'Türkiye' be used instead of 'Turkey' in all matters.

According to the spokesman, the country's name change took effect the minute the letter was received. On Tuesday, Cavusoglu said the letter would be forwarded to the United Nations and other international bodies.

"Together with our Directorate of Communications, we have been successful in preparing a good ground for this," said the letter. "We have made it possible for the UN and other international organisations, countries to see this change to using ‘Türkiye’," Cavusoglu told Anadolu Agency. Turkey began the move to change its internationally recognised official name in English to Türkiye in December after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan released a memorandum and asked the public to use Türkiye to describe the country in every language.

"Türkiye is accepted as an umbrella brand for our country in national and international venues," Erdogan said at the time. "Türkiye is the best representation and expression of the Turkish people’s culture, civilisation, and values."

Erdogan also advised companies to use "made in Türkiye" for their exported goods and instructed state agencies to use Türkiye in their correspondence.

Over the past few years, the country has sought to change the branding on its products from "made in Turkey" to "made in Turkiye."