Turkey henceforth to be known as 'Türkiye'

Ankara: Following a request made by Ankara to change the Republic of Turkey's name to 'Türkiye', the United Nations has approved the same.

Stephane Dujarric UN spokesperson said that Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Turkish foreign minister had send a letter addressed to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, requesting the use of "Türkiye" instead of "Turkey" for all affairs.

The spokesperson also said that the change of name of the country came into effect from the moment the letter was received.

On Tuesday, Cavusoglu announced the official submission of the letter to the UN and other international organizations.

"Together with our Directorate of Communications, we have been successful in preparing a good ground for this," said the letter.

"We have made it possible for the UN and other international organisations, countries to see this change to using 'Türkiye'," Cavusoglu told Anadolu Agency.

Turkey began a move to change its official name in English to Türkiye in December after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a memorandum urging the public to use 'Türkiye' to describe the country in all languages, according to Al Jazeera.

"Türkiye is accepted as an umbrella brand for our country in national and international venues," Erdogan said at the time. "Türkiye is the best representation and expression of the Turkish people's culture, civilization and values."

Erdogan also suggested that companies use "made in Türkiye" for their exports, and instructed state agencies to use 'Türkiye' in all their correspondence.