Ünal Çeviköz joined the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1978. Following his service in Ankara, he worked at the Turkish Embassy in Moscow, USSR, as Second Secretary, at the Turkish Consulate General in Bregenz, Austria, as Consul and at the Turkish Embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria, as the counselor of Embassy.

In 1989, he was detached from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs starting a job at NATO’s International Secretariat, first at the Economics Directorate, then at the Political Directorate. He received his master’s degree in International Relations in 1993 from Brussels University. In 1994, he was commissioned with launching the NATO Information Office in Moscow. Following this, he prepared the NATO-Russia Founding Act and in 1997 he returned to his duty at Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ankara, Turkey.

He served as Turkey’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan (2001-2004) and to Iraq (2004-2006). From 2007 to 2010, he was back in Ankara as Deputy Undersecretary for bilateral Political Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2009, he prepared the protocols signed between Turkey and Armenia. In 2010, he was appointed as Ambassador to London, United Kingdom. After completing his duty in the summer of 2014, he returned to Turkey. He has been elected as the President of the 28th General Assembly (2013-2015) of International Maritime Organization in 2013.

Retired in 2014, Çeviköz has been a member of several think-tanks and also a foreign policy columnist in Radikal, Hürriyet and Hürriyet Daily News. In 2018, he joined the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and was elected as an MP from Istanbul. Currently, he is an MP and also the Deputy Chairperson of CHP for foreign and international affairs.