Turkish FM corrects Brit presenter’s ‘Turkey’ with ‘Türkiye’

LJUBLJANA

During an annual international conference held in the Slovenian city of Bled, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu corrected the mistake of the panel’s presenter who said “Turkey” instead of “Türkiye” while introducing him.

Top Turkish diplomat attended the 17th Bled Strategic Forum on Aug. 29 as a speaker at a panel called “How many Europes exist inside Europe?”

Among the participants were Çavuşoğlu’s counterparts from Spain, Jose Manuel Albares Bueno; Portugal, Joao Gomes Cravinho; Slovenia, Taja Fajon; Iceland, Thordis Kolbrun; Austria, Alexander Schallenberg; and Poland, Zbigniew Rau, as well as Laurence Boone, the European minister of France.

Before the start of the panel, Çavuşoğlu asked the panel presenter Nik Gowing to use “Türkiye,” instead of “Turkey” while introducing him.

But as Gowing forgot and said “Turkey,” Çavuşoğlu warned and reminded him of the mistake.

The British presenter used “Türkiye” throughout the panel afterward.

The country started a campaign and changed its international name to “Türkiye” in December 2021.

“Türkiye is the best representation and expression of the Turkish people’s culture, civilization and values,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in December last year.

As part of the rebranding, “Made in Türkiye” features on all exported products, and in January, a tourism campaign was launched with the catchphrase “Hello Türkiye.”

In June, Çavuşoğlu penned a formal request to the United Nations to make the name change.