Turkish government pushes for country be known as ‘Turkiye’

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (AP)

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has sent a letter to the United Nations formally requesting that his country be referred to as “Turkiye”, the state-run news agency reported.

The 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.