At Turkey's request, the United Nations has officially changed the country’s name to 'Türkiye' in all official correspondences, effective immediately.
The Turkish foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, wrote to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday, formally requesting the change.
“The change is immediate,” Stephane Dujarric, the UN chief's spokesperson, told AFP by email, adding that the change took place the minute the letter was received.
In the letter sent to the secretary-general, Cavusoglu said that they have made it possible for the UN and other international organisations and countries to see this change to using ‘Türkiye', in every language.
“With the letter I sent to the UN Secretary General today, we are registering our country's name in foreign languages at the UN as 'Turkiye,'” he wrote, including an umlaut over the “u”.
This change comes after a series of similar steps taken by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to increase the 'brand value' of the country.
The president released a memorandum in December, asking the citizens of his country to use 'Türkiye' to refer to the country in whatever language they spoke or wrote in.
"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."
Over the past few years, the country has sought to change the branding on its export products from “made in Turkey” to “made in Türkiye”.
The Turkish foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, wrote to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday, formally requesting the change.
“The change is immediate,” Stephane Dujarric, the UN chief's spokesperson, told AFP by email, adding that the change took place the minute the letter was received.
In the letter sent to the secretary-general, Cavusoglu said that they have made it possible for the UN and other international organisations and countries to see this change to using ‘Türkiye', in every language.
“With the letter I sent to the UN Secretary General today, we are registering our country's name in foreign languages at the UN as 'Turkiye,'” he wrote, including an umlaut over the “u”.
This change comes after a series of similar steps taken by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to increase the 'brand value' of the country.
The president released a memorandum in December, asking the citizens of his country to use 'Türkiye' to refer to the country in whatever language they spoke or wrote in.
"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."
Over the past few years, the country has sought to change the branding on its export products from “made in Turkey” to “made in Türkiye”.