Zelenskyy appointed Nariman Dzhelal as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Turkey
On May 14, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi appointed Nariman Dzhelal Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Turkey. The relevant decree No. 305/2025 published on the official website of the head of state.
“To appoint Dzhelyalov Nariman Enverovych as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Turkey”, – stated in the decree of May 14.
Dzhelal’s candidacy for the post was approved at the end of December 2024, but the document was signed only a few months later. Nariman Dzhelal is the first deputy chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people and a former political prisoner. After the occupation of Crimea by Russia, he remained on the peninsula, continuing to engage in human rights and public activities.
On September 4, 2021, Russian security forces detained Dzhelal in what they consider a fabricated case — it was about an alleged sabotage of a gas pipeline in the village of Perevalne, in Crimea. On the same day, he and four other Crimean Tatar activists were charged with sabotage, punishable by 10 to 20 years in prison.
On June 28, 2024, he and nine civilians were returned from Russian captivity. There he suffered torture and threats against himself and his family. The chairman of the Mejlis, Refat Chubarov, reported that Dzhelal spent almost a day with a bag on his head, which was not allowed to be removed. Chubarov has already expressed gratitude to the president for such an appointment, calling it a worthy decision.
