ISTANBUL 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday appointed Nariman Dzhelyalov as Kyiv’s ambassador to Türkiye.

Dzhelyalov’s appointment was confirmed in a corresponding decree published by Ukraine’s Presidential Office, months after his candidacy for the post was approved by Zelenskyy in December 2024.

His predecessor, Vasyl Bodnar, was appointed as Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland back in October 2024 after serving three years in the Turkish capital. Bodnar was preceded by Ukraine's current Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

Before his appointment, Dzhelyalov, 45, has been serving as the first deputy chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People since 2013.

In September 2021, Dzhelyalov was detained by Russian authorities, but was later released as part of a prisoner exchange in June last year.