Press statements by H.E. The President of the House of Representatives Ms. Annita Demetriou following her meeting with H.E. Ms. Elżbieta Witek, Marshal of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland - Wednesday, 17 May 2023, at 10.00 a.m.

It is with great pleasure and honour that I warmly welcome H.E. Ms Elżbieta Witek, Marshal of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland and her esteemed delegation to the House of Representatives. 

Ms Witek’s visit to Cyprus reaffirms our mutual will to work for further deepening dialogue and cooperation between the Parliaments of Poland and Cyprus. 

We 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.

At the very fruitful meeting we had with my Polish counterpart, we reaffirmed our strong commitment to continue to provide every possible assistance to the people of Ukraine. As Women Speakers of EU Parliaments, we reiterated our resolve to address, through our regular meetings, the humanitarian aspects of the war in Ukraine and its adverse impact on the rights and welfare of women and girl refugees who are currently facing multiple vulnerabilities. 

Moreover, we exchanged views on the multiple challenges we are facing, namely the migration crisis, as well as the energy, climate and food security crises and we agreed to take joint initiatives and actions to effectively address our common challenges as EU member states.

For my part, I pointed out 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. 
I briefed the Marshal of the Sejm on the current worrisome developments regarding the Cyprus problem and Turkey’s escalating provocations in the fenced area of Famagusta, which undermine the prospects for a settlement of the Cyprus problem. I reaffirmed our unwavering commitment to the immediate resumption of negotiations for reaching a comprehensive and viable settlement, in line with the agreed UN framework of a bizonal bicommunal federation, international law and pertinent UNSC Resolutions and European principles.  

I had the opportunity to express our deep gratitude for the principled stance of Poland and Speaker Witek regarding the Cyprus problem and to ask for Poland’s support in this direction. 

Madam Speaker and I firmly believe that only through collective efforts and enhanced cooperation in the bilateral, European and multilateral frameworks, we can pursue our joint objectives. 

Being confident that this visit will signal a new era to our interparliamentary relations, I warmly welcome, once again, H.E. Ms Elzbieta Witek and her esteemed delegation and wish them a pleasant stay in Cyprus.