US changes to Turkey’s preferred spelling at ally’s request

By MATTHEW LEE
AP Diplomatic Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department says it’s adopted Turkey’s preferred spelling for the name of the country — T-U-R-K-I-Y-E. In doing so, the department is acting on a request from the NATO ally after several months of hesitation. The department has instructed that new official documents refer to the new spelling, although the pronunciation won’t change. Several other federal agencies, including the Treasury Department, had already adopted the new spelling. The State Department move comes ahead of an expected visit to Washington later this month by Turkey’s foreign minister. It’s expected that Turkey’s position on the war in Ukraine and Turkeys resistance to allowing Finland and Sweden to join NATO will be high on the agenda.