On Sunday morning, the crew of the "Mozart" (operated by a Turkish company), kidnapped by pirates off the coast of Nigeria, arrived in Istanbul, after 21 days of being held hostage.
Fifteen Turkish sailors arrived in Istanbul from the Nigerian capital Abuja on a Turkish Airlines plane.
They were received at the airport by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, in addition to their families.
In his speech, the captain of the ship, Mustafa Kaya, expressed his great happiness to return to his homeland and his family, after detention that lasted 21 days.
Kaya thanked the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Melih Ulu Arn.
"They helped us a lot, showed great interest, and did everything they could for us. Thanks to them, we met our families," he said.
"I have worked as a captain of the ship for 21 years, and this is the first time that I have been subjected to such an accident, and I will continue my work," he added.
He expressed his sorrow at the loss of an Azerbaijani sailor killed in the attack on the ship, and offered condolences to his family and the Azerbaijani people.
In turn, the sailor, Masoud Maral, expressed his joy at returning to Turkey and reuniting with his family, thanking the Turkish authorities for their efforts to secure their release.
On Saturday, the Turkish ambassador to Nigeria announced the transfer of the 15 Turkish sailors to the embassy building, after their release on Friday.
Last month, pirates off the coast of Nigeria kidnapped 15 of the 19 crew members of the "Mozart" ship, and one of them - a holder of Azerbaijani nationality - was killed during the attack, and 3 of the crew succeeded in returning with the ship to Gabon and from there to Turkey.