Turkey's name has now been changed to Türkiye (tur-key-YAY) as the United Nations accepted Ankara's formal request to change the name of the country.
An Official request letter sent by Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu was acknowledged by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The name change has also been made effective from the moment it was accepted.
Turkey Called Itself Türkiye in 1923
The move is part of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's push to reshape the country in more hardcore Islamic culture. When the country declared its independence in 1923, it called itself Türkiye.
UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric told CNN: "It's not an issue, it's not for us to accept or not accept. Countries are free to choose the way they want to be named. It doesn't happen every day but it's not unusual that countries change their names."
Erdogan first ordered the use of Türkiye in December 2021 to underline Turkish values and culture. He also demanded that "Made in Türkiye" should be written in the export products as previously it was written, "Made in Turkey".
Erdogan Instructed to Use 'Türkiye' Name on Official Documents
He also instructed officials and ministries to use the 'Türkiye' name on the official documents.
Ankara had also released a promotional video to let others know about the country's name change. The footage shows people from different countries saying "Hello Türkiye".
Other International Bodies Will Be Formally Asked to Change Name
Now several global bodies will be formally asked to change Turkey's name to Türkiye.
Erdogan last year had said that Türkiye is the best representation and expression of the Turkish people's culture.
Why did Ankara Consider The Name Change Mandatory?
Erdogan was pushing for the name change for years as he believed that Türkiye will represent the country when compared to Turkey, a name of colonial era which Ankara changed in 1923 after declaring independence.
Turkey is name of a bird, which is called by a different name in many languages, such as "Peru" in Portuguese, while in Turkish it is "Hindi", according to BBC.
