The Turkish government has formally written to the United Nations (UN) requesting that it be referred to as Türkiye (tur-key-YAY), according to a state-run news agency.
The UN has accepted the request.
Anadolu Agency reported that Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson to UN secretary-general António Guterres has acknowledged the letter sent by Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.
The Recep Tayyip Erdoğan-led government has been pushing for this change for a long time, and according to The Guardian, the motive is to ensure the name of the country from the name of the bird, and the negative connotations attached to it.
TRT World, in an article, explained that Googling "Turkey" brings up a "a muddled set of images, articles, and dictionary definitions that conflate the country with Meleagris – otherwise known as the turkey, a large bird native to North America – which is famous for being served on Christmas menus or Thanksgiving dinners."
"Flip through the Cambridge Dictionary and 'turkey' is defined as 'something that fails badly' or 'a stupid or silly person'," the report added.
"Türkiye is accepted as an umbrella brand for our country in national and international venues," Erdogan had said in December last year. "Türkiye is the best representation and expression of the Turkish people’s culture, civilisation and values."
(With inputs from The Guardian, TRT World, and Anadolu Agency.)
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