The Turkish Foreign Minister has sent a letter to the UN formally requesting that his country be referred to as Türkiye, amid fears about his nation being conflated with the bird or a 'silly person'.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has sent a letter to the United Nations formally requesting his country be referred to as Türkiye, according to the nation's state-run news agency.The country called itself Türkiye in 1923 after its declaration of independenceThe 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.
The agency quoted Mr Dujarric as saying that the name change became effective "the moment" the letter was received. It was not clear whether the name, with a letter that does not exist in the English alphabet, will catch on widely abroad.In 2016, the Czech Republic officially registered its short-form name, Czechia. While some international institutions use it, many still refer to the country by its longer name.
The Macquarie Dictionary defines turkey colloquially as "a foolish person, especially one who is noticeably inept or boorish".