This country aspires to be known as 'Türkiye.' Figure out why.
Key Takeaways:
- In a message to the United Nations, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu requested that his country be referred to as "Türkiye."
- Turks choose the term "Türkiye" to "keep with the country's goals of choosing how others should recognise it," according to TRT World.
According to the state-run news outlet, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has publicly requested that his country be referred to as "Türkiye" in a message to the UN. The decision is considered part of Ankara's effort to rebrand the country and distance it from the bird, turkey, and even some of the bad connotations that come with it.
According to the Anadolu Agency, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric confirmed receipt of the message late on Wednesday. According to the news agency, Dujarric stated that the name change was effective "from the minute" the letter was delivered.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has campaigned for Turkey's globally recognized name to be renamed "Türkiye" (tur-key-YAY), as it is spelled and spoken in Turkish. The nation was renamed "Türkiye" after it declared independence in 1923.
Erdogan ordered the use of "Türkiye" to better represent Turkish culture as well as values in December, as well as the usage of "Made in Türkiye" instead of "Made in Turkey" on exported goods. In official papers, Turkish ministries began using the term "Türkiye."
The administration also created a promotional video earlier this year as part of its efforts to change its English name. Tourists from all around the world exclaim "Hello Türkiye" at well-known locations in the film.
The campaign was started by the Turkish presidency's Directorate of Communications to "promote more effectively the use of 'Türkiye' as the country's domestic and international identity on international platforms," according to the Turkish presidency.
It was unclear whether the name, which has a letter that does not present in the English alphabet, would be popular in other countries. While Czechia is used by several international organizations, the Czech Republic's short-form appellation was formally filed in 2016, and many people still refer to the country by its longer name.
TRT World, Turkey's English-language national broadcaster, has changed its name to "Türkiye," but correspondents are still referring to the country as "Turkey."
In an article posted earlier this year, TRT World explained the decision, claiming that Googling "Turkey" yields "a muddled set of images, publications, as well as dictionary definitions which conflate the nation with Meleagris – otherwise known as that of the turkey, a large bird native to North America – which is famous for being offered on Christmas menus or Thanksgiving dinners."
"Flip through the Cambridge Dictionary, and "turkey" is defined as "anything that fails miserably" or "a dumb or silly person," the network continued.
According to TRT World, Turks prefer the name "Türkiye" to "stay with the country's goals of choosing how others should recognize it."