NATO told Türkiye now standard name of longstanding member

By Omer Tugrul Cam

BRUSSELS (AA) – One of NATO’s oldest member states has notified the alliance of its official name change from "Turkey" to "Türkiye."

Türkiye's Permanent Mission to NATO last week sent a letter to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to use the name Türkiye in place of foreign versions of the name.

In a letter to the UN secretary-general, Türkiye last week also requested that the United Nations from now on use Türkiye, and the change was recognized.

EU institutions were also informed about the country's new standard name.

Türkiye is a longstanding member of NATO, having joined in 1952. This February Türkiye marked its 70th anniversary of NATO membership.

The move is meant to cement Türkiye's brand name on the international stage and also more accurately reflect its heritage, according to officials.