Nariman Dzhelal officially takes up his duties as Ambassador of Ukraine to Turkey

Nariman Dzhelal officially began his work as Ukraine's ambassador to Turkey, handing over copies of his credentials to the Turkish Foreign Ministry. The former political prisoner and Crimean Tatar human rights activist was appointed to the post by the President in May 2025.

This was reported by the press service of the Embassy of Ukraine in Turkey.

As part of the diplomatic procedure, Nariman Dzhelal handed over copies of his credentials to the Director of Protocol of the Turkish Foreign Ministry Cemil Miroğlu. His appointment took place against the backdrop of the Ukrainian delegation's visit to Turkey, where negotiations on possible ways to end the war unleashed by Russia are not ruled out.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree appointing Nariman Celer as ambassador in May 2025. The idea of his delegation to Turkey was announced by the president in December 2024.

Prior to his new position, he was the first deputy chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, known for his active struggle for the de-occupation of Crimea and the protection of the rights of Crimean Tatars.

In 2021, Dzhelal was detained by Russian security forces in a trumped-up case of blowing up a gas pipeline in occupied Crimea. He was held in harsh conditions for more than two and a half years.

His case was opened in the fall of 2021, along with his brothers Asan and Aziz Akhtemov, who were accused of blowing up a gas pipeline in occupied Crimea. Initially, he was a witness and was not even mentioned in the investigation materials, but after the testimony of an anonymous witness, he was made a suspect in the complicity. After his arrest, he was kept in a special block of the Simferopol pre-trial detention center under particularly strict control, with frequent searches, isolation from other prisoners and constant video surveillance.

Only on June 28, 2024, the politician was released as part of a prisoner exchange. Upon his return to Ukraine, he publicly announced his intention to continue the struggle for the release of other Ukrainian prisoners.

On the second day of the Crimean Week in Brussels, the then First Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Nariman Dzhelal addressed the members of the European Parliament. In his speech, he emphasized that any attempt to recognize Crimea as part of Russia is absolutely unacceptable.

Анна Літман