Turkey is now recognized as "Türkiye" by the United Nations, which approved the Turkish government's request for change on Wednesday as part of its rebranding campaign.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the rebranding process, which started in December, was the initiative of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "in order to increase our country's brand value."
In the letter addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Cavusoglu wrote: "I would like to inform you that, in line with the Presidential Circular ... dated December 2, 2021, on the use of the word 'Türkiye' in foreign languages and the subsequent branding strategy, the Government of the Republic of Turkiye, henceforth will start using 'Türkiye' to replace the words such as 'Turkey,' 'Turkei' and 'Turquie' that have been used in the past to refer to the 'Republic of Turkiye.'"
According to CNN, UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Thursday that the UN accepted the alteration and that it took effect as soon as they received the request and verified the document's authenticity on Wednesday.
Is Turkey's Name Change Just a Distraction?
Dujarric said it is "not an issue" for the UN to accept or reject a request for country name changes.
"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," he said.
The majority of Turks refer to their motherland as Türkiye. However, the anglicized term Turkey is often used even within the country.
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TRT, the country's public broadcaster, was fast to make a move after it was announced last year, citing the relationship with the bird generally associated with Christmas, New Year, or Thanksgiving as one of the grounds for the rebranding.
It also stated that one of the definitions of the word is "something that fails badly" or "a stupid or silly person," per the Cambridge English Dictionary.
"Made in Türkiye" will appear on all exported items as part of the rebranding, and a tourist campaign with the catchphrase "Hello Türkiye" was launched in January, as per a report from BBC.
The move has elicited a mixed response online. Although some government officials approve of it, others argue that it is a distraction as the president prepares for elections in 2023 amid an economic crisis.
Other Countries That Changed Their Names
In the past, several countries have changed their names, according to a report from WION. One of them is Iran, which was known as Persia. In March 1935, the move was initiated by the Iranian ambassador to Germany, who was under the influence of the Nazis.
After becoming a constitutional monarchy in 1939, Siam's name was changed to Thailand. In the local language, it is pronounced Prathet Thai, which means "free people's country."
The government of the Netherlands likewise changed its image by dropping the name Holland. Business leaders, the tourism board, and the central government are calling the country the Netherlands as of 2020.
North and South Holland are now simply two of the European country's 12 provinces.
The name change was part of a drive to distance the country from its associations with recreational drug use and legal prostitution, both of which are strong attractions for foreign visitors to Amsterdam, located in the province of North Holland.
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North and South Holland are now simply two of the European country's 12 provinces.
The name change was part of a drive to distance the country from its associations with recreational drug use and legal prostitution, both of which are strong attractions for foreign visitors to Amsterdam, which is located in the province of North Holland.
