Ukraine should make the most of the topic of occupied Crimea and the Crimean Tatars in its relations with Turkey. This was stated by Ukraine’s Ambassador to Turkey Nariman Djelyal, who has held this position since May 2025.
This is reported by Kyiv24
The Crimean Theme in Ukraine’s Diplomacy
According to Djelyal, the issue of Crimea occupies an important place in his diplomatic work. He emphasized that this topic is one of the main connections between Ukraine and Turkey and should be key in communication between the states.
“This is something we need to use both ways: for establishing relations between our states and to leverage Turkey’s opportunities for the tasks mentioned by the president. That is, to keep Crimea on the agenda, to discuss the topic of Crimea in terms of restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity, releasing political prisoners, military captives, returning children, and many other issues related to the occupation of Crimea.”
Appointment of Nariman Djelyal and His Role
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced his intention to appoint Nariman Djelyal as ambassador to Turkey on December 20, 2024. He officially presented his credentials to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in July 2025 at a ceremony in the Presidential Palace in Ankara.
Djelyal is the first deputy chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people and one of the few Mejlis representatives who remained in Crimea after the peninsula was annexed by Russia in 2014. In September 2021, he was arrested by FSB officers on charges of sabotage. He received a 17-year prison sentence but was released at the end of June 2024 along with nine other civilian hostages from a Russian prison.