Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Minister of Foreign and Expatriate Affairs, Ayman Safadi, on Monday co-chaired with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, the second edition of the regional forum of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), which was organized by the UfM co-presidency "Jordan and the EU", in the Spanish city of Barcelona.

Foreign ministers and representatives of 43 member countries participated in the forum, in addition to representatives from regional and international organizations and bodies, civil society institutions and funders to UfM projects in the southern Mediterranean region.

The Forum adopted a roadmap for boosting the work of the UfM in the coming period, in order to promote cooperation and development between the Union's countries, in addition to finding solutions to regional issues and crises.

In an opening speech, Safadi spoke about Jordan's efforts led by His Majesty King Abdullah II in supporting the security and stability at the regional and global levels, as well as the Kingdom's role in the fight against terrorism, extremism and burdens resulting from hosting large numbers of Syrian refugees.

The minister reiterated Jordan's continued support for UfM and strengthening cooperation and partnership in the Mediterranean region.

The EU and a number of UfM member countries urged Jordan to continue its presidency for a third term until 2018.

On the sidelines of the forum, Safadi held a number of bilateral meetings with officials from the EU and foreign ministers of Malta, Luxembourg, Portugal, Palestine, Spain and Albania.

Answering a question about the Kingdom's relationship with the new US administration, Safadi said that Jordanian-US ties are strong and historic, and Jordan looks forward to working with the new administration to confront common challenges, which include regional conflicts and crises, stressing the need for joint efforts to promote security, stability and economic achievements.