Uzbekistan-born politician takes key diplomatic role in Ukraine-Turkey relations

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Nariman Dzhelyal, a politician and human rights advocate of Crimean Tatar descent, as Ukraine’s Ambassador to Turkey. The official decree was signed on May 15.

Born on April 27, 1980, in Navoi, Uzbekistan, Dzhelyal moved with his family to Crimea in 1989. He studied political science at Odessa National University and later worked as a journalist for Avdet newspaper and a television presenter for ATR TV. Additionally, he taught history and law at the International School in Simferopol.

Since 2013, Dzhelyal has been a key representative of the Crimean Tatar community, serving as First Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis, a self-governing body advocating for Crimean Tatar rights. After Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, he remained on the peninsula, actively defending the rights of Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians and monitoring politically motivated trials.

In September 2021, following his participation in the Crimea Platform Summit, Dzhelyal was detained by Russian authorities and sentenced in 2022 to 17 years in a high-security prison on charges of sabotage. He was released in June 2024 as part of a prisoner exchange and returned to Ukraine.

His appointment as Ambassador to Turkey highlights his strategic role in human rights advocacy and Crimea-related policies, according to official statements.

Previously, in September 2023, Rustem Umerov, who was born in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, was appointed as Ukraine’s Minister of Defense.