House President Annita Demetriou meets Polish counterpart Elżbieta Witek

House President Annita Demetriou met with the Marshal of the Sejm (lower house of parliament) of Poland Elżbieta Witek on Wednesday during the latter’s three-day visit to Cyprus.

Witek signed the visitors’ book of the House of Representatives and will address the House on Thursday at 4pm.

Demetriou pointed out to Witek the striking similarities between the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus and the need for the international community to avoid double standards policies.

In her statements, Demetriou said that she informed her counterpart about current alarming developments regarding the Cyprus problem and in particular what is happening in the Turkish occupied city of Famagusta and reaffirmed to her the Greek Cypriot side’s commitment to resume negotiations within the agreed framework, which is a bizonal, bicommunal federation, in accordance with the agreed UN framework, international law and UN resolutions.

At the same time, Demetriou thanked her counterpart and her country for supporting Cyprus and the international legal order, not only on the Cyprus problem, “but also on all the other challenges we face.”

In addition, Demetriou said, there was an exchange of views on multiple challenges such as the migration crisis and it was agreed to take joint initiatives and actions to “effectively address our common challenges as EU member states.”

Parliament’s President said that they “both agreed that there is much scope for further strengthening our collaboration, both at the bilateral and European levels, especially in the context of the Poland-Denmark-Cyprus Trio of the Presidency of the Council of the EU, in 2025-2026”.

Speaking through an interpreter, Witek thanked the Republic of Cyprus for the humanitarian aid it provides to Ukrainian refugees and said that her schedule includes a meeting with refugees from Ukraine, who are mainly women and children.

Witek said that Poland is a frontline country. “We are a direct neighbour of Ukraine, and we know very well what Russia and the Russians are capable of and we know why Ukraine is fighting for. We spoke about this. Russia intends to rebuild its empire. She wants to become a superpower and is not going to stop in Ukraine if it is not defeated. This is why we need political, military and humanitarian support for Ukraine”.

Witek said that while the war is still going on, women and children are being killed. “Women are being raped, sometimes raped in front of their children. Ukrainian women must give birth on cement floors. Russia is shelling hospitals. Children and babies are being killed,” she said, noting that these events recall the Second World War.

Witek announced that in June she will organise another meeting of the women Presidents of the European Union Parliaments, and during this meeting the issue of human trafficking and child trafficking will be raised. She also said that the issue of the difficulties faced by women in Afghanistan would be discussed at the meeting.