Safadi takes part in 13th Bali Democracy Forum

AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi on Thursday participated in the 13th Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) in Indonesia, which was held under the theme: "Democracy and the COVID-19 Pandemic".

In his recorded speech during the session targeting the possible ways to push forward the democratic process in light of the pandemic, Safadi said that COVID-19 and its dangerous repercussions on "our communities and countries stress that we need each other to overcome this unprecedented pandemic".

The minister highlighted the importance of moving forward with the reform and democratic processes to guarantee wider participation in decision making, including greater participation of women and the youth, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

He also referred to the Kingdom's success in maintaining a balance between protecting citizens from the pandemic and implementing constitutional entitlements, such as holding the parliamentary elections that reflect the Jordanian leadership's faith in guaranteeing wider popular participation in decision making.

The deputy prime minister referred to His Majesty King Abdullah's call for re- globalisation as a means to face this pandemic and its dangerous repercussions on the communities, which requires reconsidering the shortcomings and addressing them in a way that realises better efficiency in dealing with this common threat.

"We have to continue consultation and coordination to find a balance between facing the COVID-19 pandemic and protecting our peoples' rights and aspirations towards a better future, which the Kingdom seeks to achieve while all our countries seek to realise peace and security through solving conflicts in our region which have deprived our people of their right to peaceful life," he said.

Safadi concluded his speech by affirming that the world is facing common challenges that cannot be solved but through joint action and enhancement of multilateral action mechanisms, which can boost the ability in overcoming COVID-19 and economic hardships.