No more Turkey: Country in push to be known as ‘Türkiye’

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s state-run news agency says Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has sent a letter to the United Nations formally requesting that his country be referred to as “Türkiye.” The move is seen as part of a push by Ankara to rebrand the country and dissociate its name from the bird, turkey, and some negative connotations that are associated with it. Anadolu Agency said U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric confirmed receipt of the letter late on Wednesday. It quoted Dujarric as saying that the name change had become effective “from the moment” the letter was received. In December, Erdogan ordered the use of “Türkiye” as the country is spelled and pronounced in Turkish, to better represent Turkish culture and values.