he United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in the Islamic Republic of Iran,

Thai Ambassador to Iran Kallayana Vipattipumiprates has expressed his country’s readiness to promote effective cooperation between Iran and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with Thailand as the next chairman of the association, AVA Diplomatic reports.

“As the Islamic Republic of Iran has recently joined the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), and the fact that Thailand’s ASEAN chairmanship will commence on 1st January 2019, Thailand stands ready to continue to further develop the cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and ASEAN to be as effective and sustainable as those of ASEAN Dialogue Partners,” Vipattipumiprates said.

The ASEAN officially ratified Iran’s membership in the TAC in August. The treaty was signed by the ASEAN founding members – Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Singapore – in 1976 to promote perpetual peace, everlasting amity and cooperation among the people of Southeast Asia, which would contribute to their strength, solidarity, and closer relationship.

The ambassador made the remarks in a commemoration ceremony held in the Thai Embassy in Tehran on Wednesday on the occasion of the National Day of the Kingdom of Thailand (December 5).

The event was attended by a number of Iranian officials including Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Affairs Gholamreza Ansari as well as foreign ambassadors to Iran.

Expressing hope that the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), will endure and continue for the benefits of its member parties as well as the global community, Vipattipumiprates added his country “reaffirms its support for the preservation of the JCPOA and applauds Iran’s implementation of its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA.”

The Thai envoy also referred to close ties between the two countries for more than four centuries, saying, “Our longstanding relations have continued to move forward on many fronts.”

He said several exchanges of high-ranking official visits between the two sides are another testimony of the longstanding friendship.

“There have been exchanges of visits at all levels. The third Thai-Iranian Political Consultation and Joint Consular Meetings have resulted in significant progress. A strong foundation has been laid to shape the future course of our relations in all aspects for the mutual benefits of our two countries and peoples,” he said.

Each year on December 5, Thai people celebrate the occasion of National Day of the Kingdom of Thailand, the birth anniversary of the late king Bhumibol Adulyadej, and Thailand’s Father’s Day.