Mr. Tezel joined the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in 1989. 

Before taking up his position in Kyiv in February 2014, Mr. Tezel served as Deputy Director-General for Research in the MFA. His earlier assignments were in the Policy Planning Directorate of the MFA and the Offices of the President and the Minister. 

Over the years Mr. Tezel served at the Turkish Delegation to the OSCE in Vienna (1992-1995), Turkish Consulate General in Jerusalem (1995-1997), the Turkish Embassy in London (1999-2003), and Turkish Embassy in Ottawa (2005-2010). 

Mr. Tezel has a B.A. in Political Science from Boğazici University, Istanbul, and an M.A. in International Relations from Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara. During his time in London and Ottawa he also carried out academic studies.