On the request of Ankara, the United Nations (UN) has registered a new country name Türkiye replacing Turkey. The Turkish Foreign minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu had sent a request to the UN seeking a change of name, the UN has accepted the request and registered the new name. The international body had received a letter from the Turkish Foreign Ministry last week.
In December, last year Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan stated “ (the) word Türkiye represents and expresses the culture, civilization, and values of the Turkish nation in the best way.” Turkey is the anglicized name of Türkiye, but citizens of Turkey have always referred to their country as Türkiye.
The country always had trouble with the word Turkey as it had negative connotations attached to it as the English dictionary meaning of the word is “something that fails badly” or “a stupid or silly person”; also Turkey is a bird consumed at Thanksgiving in America.
BBC reports that in January this year, the government also launched a tourism campaign using “Hello Türkiye” as its tag line.
But BBC reports that while supporters of the government back the move, it has found little takers outside that circle given the economic crisis that the country is undergoing. It may also be a distraction while the country gears up for elections next year.
