The list of gifts received by the President of the House of Representatives from heads of state and parliamentary counterparts was published yesterday on the website of the House, in the context of transparency and ethical accountability.
The obligation of Members of Parliament to declare gifts and other benefits they receive arises from the House of Representatives Code of Conduct, which was adopted in February 2021.
An itemised list has been posted on the House website naming members who received gifts in the course of performing their duties during the Twelfth parliamentary term, covering the period from July 2024 to September 2025. The list includes the President of the House, Annita Demetriou, as well as the Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and DISY MP, Harris Georgiades. No other MP submitted a declaration of gifts.
Under the House Code of Conduct, failure by a member to declare a gift constitutes a disciplinary offence, which falls under the remit of the Ethics Committee.
Gifts received by the President of the House
The President of the House, Annita Demetriou, received a total of 25 gifts, with an estimated value of €6,700, during official meetings in Cyprus and abroad. These gifts have already been placed in glass display cases and are exhibited in the House of Representatives building. Specifically, during the period under review, she received the following:
• A commemorative item depicting the building of the National Assembly of Armenia, offered by the Armenia–Cyprus Friendship Group during its visit to the House of Representatives on 24 September 2024. Estimated value: €200.
• A commemorative item depicting the building of the National Assembly of Vietnam, offered by the Vietnamese parliamentary delegation during its visit to the House of Representatives on 15 October 2024. Estimated value: €200. In addition, Ms Demetriou received a second gift from the same delegation, a woven textile, estimated at €150.
• An icon of Panagia Agkaryiotissa, offered by the Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa during his meeting with Ms Demetriou at the House of Representatives on 15 October 2024. Estimated value: €250.
• A decorative object depicting a female figure, offered by the Minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China during his visit to the House of Representatives on 6 June 2025. Estimated value: €250.
• A painting depicting the Great Wall of China, offered by the Student Union of Beijing Foreign Studies University during the President’s visit to China from 7 to 13 October 2024. Estimated value: €450.
• A commemorative item representing landmark buildings of Kuwait City, offered by the Ambassador of Kuwait to Cyprus following a meeting with Ms Demetriou on 10 December 2024. Estimated value: €200.
• A commemorative item depicting the archaeological site of Qasr al Farid, offered by the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Cyprus following a meeting with Ms Demetriou on 10 December 2024. Estimated value: €350.
• A commemorative item depicting the city of Shenzhen, offered by the Vice President of the Shenzhen Congress during Ms Demetriou’s visit to China from 7 to 13 October 2024. Estimated value: €350.
• A painting entitled “Lotus Flowers in the Morning”, accompanied by a certificate of authenticity, offered by the Ambassador of Vietnam to Cyprus following a meeting with Ms Demetriou on 27 March 2025. Estimated value: €600.
• A decorative porcelain plate in Delft Blue style bearing the royal coat of arms, accompanied by a certificate of authenticity, offered to Ms Demetriou during the visit of the Dutch royal couple to the House of Representatives on 4 March 2025. Estimated value: €500.
• A commemorative item depicting the building of the Egyptian Senate, offered by the President of the Senate during Ms Demetriou’s visit to Egypt from 23 to 26 February 2025. Estimated value: €200.
• A glass bust depicting Queen Nefertiti and an honorary medal depicting the Egyptian Parliament building and the Pyramids of Giza, offered by her Egyptian counterpart during the same visit. Estimated values: €200 and €150 respectively.
• The Grand Commander’s Cross of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified, offered by the Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa during Ms Demetriou’s visit to Egypt from 23 to 26 February 2025. Estimated value: €250.
• An honorary medal of the Order of Friendship, offered by the President of Armenia during Ms Demetriou’s visit to the country on 19 and 20 May 2025. Estimated value: €200.
• Silver goblets with gold-plated decoration by M. Aram, offered by her Armenian counterpart during the same visit. Estimated value: €200.
• A silver vase with gold-plated decoration by M. Aram, offered by the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs during his visit to the House of Representatives on 29 July 2024. Estimated value: €300.
• A silver icon entitled “The Vine”, offered by the Archbishop of America during his visit to the House of Representatives on 23 July 2024. Estimated value: €200.
• A handmade glass decorative object, offered by the Minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China during Ms Demetriou’s visit to China from 7 to 13 October 2024. Estimated value: €300.
• A porcelain decorative object depicting two doves as symbols of peace, offered by the Chair of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China during the same visit. Estimated value: €150.
• An embroidered handicraft mounted in a wooden frame, offered by the delegation of the Nanmofang and Chaoyang legislative office during the same visit. Estimated value: €150. In addition, a set of ceramic tableware valued at €300 was offered to the President of the House, without the donor being identified.
• A medal depicting the building of the French Senate, offered by the Chair of the European Affairs Committee of the French Senate during a delegation visit to the House of Representatives on 18 November 2024. Estimated value: €120.
• A porcelain decorative vessel depicting the Spanish Congress building, offered by her Spanish counterpart during his visit to the House of Representatives. Estimated value: €150.
• A porcelain decorative plate depicting a female figure, offered by the Albanian Minister for Europe during his visit to the House of Representatives on 2 June 2025. Estimated value: €150.
• A painting on canvas with frame entitled “Lotus Flowers in the Morning”, offered by the Ambassador of Vietnam to Cyprus following a meeting on 10 December 2024. Estimated value: €300.
Gifts declared by Harris Georgiades
The Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and DISY MP, Harris Georgiades, declared the following gifts: a book received from the Austrian Parliament, a traditional tablecloth received from a Vietnamese delegation, a tie received from the Ambassador of Iraq, a tie received from the Ambassador of Kazakhstan, a chess set received at the Economist Summit in New York, a glass decorative paperweight received from the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cyprus in the British Parliament, and a watercolour painting depicting the building of the Romanian Senate.
According to the House Code of Conduct, gifts with a value exceeding €50 are subject to publication. In addition, gifts valued at more than €150 that are accepted must be accompanied by a written and reasoned statement explaining the reasons for, and circumstances of, their acceptance.