MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On October 13, Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej died at the age of 88. The same day, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said that Vajiralongkorn, 64, would become the country’s new king. On December 1, Vajiralongkorn was officially declared the king of Thailand, the tenth monarch of the Chakri dynasty.
"We consider you to be the worthy successor of the Chakri dynasty, under which the diplomatic relations between Russia and Thailand were established almost 120 years ago," Putin said in a greetings telegram as quoted by the press service.
Putin expressed hope that under the new Thai monarch the bilateral relations would gain a fresh impetus for development.