US changes spelling of Turkey at NATO ally’s request

By MATTHEW LEE
AP Diplomatic Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department has adopted Turkey’s preferred spelling for the name of the country, acceding to a request from the NATO ally after several months of hesitation. The department has instructed that new official documents refer to Turkiye, spelled TURKIYE, although the pronunciation will not change. Several other U.S. federal agencies, including the Treasury Department, had already adopted the new spelling, leading to inconsistencies across the government. Turkey had already asked for its name to be changed in international forums and most, including the United Nations and NATO, had switched to the new spelling.