Turkey was officially referred to at the United Nations as “Turkiye” in all languages, and not “Turkey” in English. This is a decision of President Recep Tayyip Erdoan.
Stephane Dujarric spoke on behalf of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to AFP, saying that “the change is immediate.” It was an official letter from Ankara, which was received at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Wednesday, June 1, and that immediately formalized Turkey’s name change.
Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkish Foreign Minister, posted on Twitter Tuesday that he had signed a letter addressed to UN Secretary General. He requested that the UN register “Turkiye” as the name of his country in foreign languages.
Ankara asks that “Turkey”, in French, and “Turkey”, in English be dropped. This could have a negative connotation.
In a tweet, the head of Turkish diplomacy spoke out about President Erdogan’s desire to “increase our country’s brand value” since 2021. In economic matters, Ankara wanted to for many years to place the “made-in Turkiye” brand abroad at the expense “made-in Turkey”.
“Some might find this name change ridiculous, but it places Erdogan within the role of protector, upholder, international respect for the country,” stated Mustafa Aksakal, an historian at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., quoted by the “New York Times” on Thursday.
According to the newspaper, Turkey will hold a presidential elections in June 2023 after being in power for 20 years under Recep Tayyip Turkey. It will also mark the centenary since its foundation following the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
