Turkey has finally officially changed its international name from 'Turkey' to 'Turkiye'. Previously, Turkey had sent a letter to the United Nations (UN) to change its name to "Turkiye" on Thursday (2/6).
So, what is the reason behind Turkey changing its international name?
Turkey's Reason for Changing International Name
Apparently, the change in international name was done by Turkey to change the image of their country and separate the name of their country with bird names and other negative connotations. Turkey itself in English can also be interpreted as turkey.
Quoted from the Associated Press, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan considered the use of the word "Turkiye" to better describe Turkish culture and values.
Attempts to Change Turkey's Name to Turkiye
The Erdogan government has taken various measures to change Turkey's name to Turkiye in the international eyes.
Before Turkey sent a letter to the United Nations, they had released a tourism promotional video to introduce the term "Turkiye." In the video, tourists from various countries say the words "Hello Turkiye" from various famous destinations.
Not only that, Erdogan also wants every Turkish export product to be written with the words "Made in Turkiye [made in Turkiye]" instead of "Made in Turkey."
The government also uses the word "Turkiye" in official documents.
Reasons for choosing the name 'Turkiye'
The word "Turkiye" itself was chosen because it uses the Turkish alphabet and language. Meanwhile, it is still unclear whether changing the name Turki to Turkiye will often be used by the international community.