Representatives of Ukraine and Russia will attend the 15th Bali Democracy Forum

Director General of Information and Public Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Teuku Faizasyah (ANTARA/Aria Cindyara)

JAKARTA - It was confirmed that representatives from Ukraine and Russia, two countries that have been in conflict since February 2022, will attend the 15th Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) which will be held in Nusa Dua, Bali on 8 December 2022.

This was said by the Director General of Information and Public Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Teuku Faizasyah when met on the sidelines of the Bali Civil Society and Media Forum in Nusa Dua, Bali, Tuesday, December 6.

"If we look later at the list of participants, it will be seen that there are Ukraine and Russia as well, and other countries that are currently experiencing tensions in their relations", said Faizasyah as quoted by ANTARA.

He explained that the representatives who will attend are expected to come from the level of ambassadors of the two countries, and both of them will be physically present in Bali.

"They confirmed they were coming from Jakarta, if I'm not mistaken they were coming from Jakarta to Bali", he continued.

In the context of current geopolitical tensions, Faizasyah said that the BDF forum was the right forum as the only forum that could present even conflicting countries.

He explained the spirit of BDF is a process that is not patronizing or patronizing. In this forum, participating countries can learn from each other regarding democratic practices and what can be taken from the political process to ensure that the general needs of society can be channeled.

“Discussion is something good, like it or not the challenges are the same. Geopolitics has the same challenges, energy challenges, and others, so we'll see", he said.

This year's Bali Democracy Forum has the theme "Democracy in a Changing World: Leadership and Solidarity".

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 57 participating countries and 70 observer countries and international organizations have registered to take part in BDF 2022.

This year's BDF will prioritize physical presence, to show that Bali and Indonesia are more ready to return to receiving guests after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Apart from expecting the presence of representatives from two countries at the ministerial/deputy ministerial level as well as two experts, Indonesia is also presenting cross-regional representatives from Latin America, who will join online.