Iran’s new ambassador to North Korea formally assumed his post on Wednesday after presenting his credentials in Pyongyang, according to state media reports, filling a position that has been vacant for over five years as the two countries look to advance their decades-old friendship.

Choe Ryong Hae, the head of North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament, received Amb. Abbas Talebifar’s letter of credence at the Mansudae Assembly Hall on behalf of leader Kim Jong Un, the state-owned Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Thursday. 

The credentials were sent by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. 

Choe and Talebifar held talks in what KCNA described