Greeks in Kyrgyzstan
Encyclopedia
Greeks in Kyrgyzstan form one of the country's
smaller minority groups. The existing data are contradictory. According to 2009 Census there are 451 Greeks . According to the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there are 150 families of Greek origin (650–700 people). However, the data of the General Secretariat For Greeks Abroad give an even lower number (50 people).
Greeks living in the Soviet Union
—most of them were merchants, but there were also some farmers—suffered deportations
, mainly to the steppes of Central Asia
, particularly to Kazakhstan
, Uzbekistan
, Kyrgyzstan and Siberia
. For a considerable time after the end of the war, these deported Greeks remained unrehabilitated, and were not allowed to return to their pre-deportation areas of settlement. Thus some of them chose to leave Siberia to settle in Kazakhstan and (to a lesser extent) in Kyrgyzstan. Most of these Greeks were finally concentrated in the Osh province
, and the town of Nookat
in particular.
During a second wave of deportations (1944–1949) initiated by the Stalinist regime
, more than 31,000 families (Pontian Greeks and Greeks from Crimea
) were sent to Bishkek; only 5,000 found a shelter living in squalid conditions. This time, the deported Greeks finally settled in the Talas Province
.
) settled in Greece.
school with a Greek teacher whose salary is covered by the Greek government, Secretariat of Greeks Abroad. The University of Bishkek
opened a Greek language department in 2003.
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
smaller minority groups. The existing data are contradictory. According to 2009 Census there are 451 Greeks . According to the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there are 150 families of Greek origin (650–700 people). However, the data of the General Secretariat For Greeks Abroad give an even lower number (50 people).
Initial settlement
According to an official census of 1920, the Greeks of Kyrgyzstan numbered only 344. Since 1939 and during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Greeks living in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
—most of them were merchants, but there were also some farmers—suffered deportations
Population transfer in the Soviet Union
Population transfer in the Soviet Union may be classified into the following broad categories: deportations of "anti-Soviet" categories of population, often classified as "enemies of workers," deportations of entire nationalities, labor force transfer, and organized migrations in opposite...
, mainly to the steppes of Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
, particularly to Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
, Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
, Kyrgyzstan and Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. For a considerable time after the end of the war, these deported Greeks remained unrehabilitated, and were not allowed to return to their pre-deportation areas of settlement. Thus some of them chose to leave Siberia to settle in Kazakhstan and (to a lesser extent) in Kyrgyzstan. Most of these Greeks were finally concentrated in the Osh province
Osh Province
Osh Province is a province of Kyrgyzstan. Its capital is Osh. It is bounded by Jalal-Abad Province, Naryn Province, Xinjiang, China, Tajikistan, Batken Province and Uzbekistan.-Geography:...
, and the town of Nookat
Nookat
Nookat , also Eski-Nookat, Iski-Naukat or Naukat, is a village in the Osh Province of Kyrgyzstan. It is the seat of Nookat District....
in particular.
During a second wave of deportations (1944–1949) initiated by the Stalinist regime
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
, more than 31,000 families (Pontian Greeks and Greeks from Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
) were sent to Bishkek; only 5,000 found a shelter living in squalid conditions. This time, the deported Greeks finally settled in the Talas Province
Talas Province
Talas Province is a province of Kyrgyzstan. Its capital is Talas. It is bordered on the west and north by Jambyl Province of Kazakhstan, on the east by Chui Province, on the south by Jalal-Abad Province and on the southwest by a finger of Uzbekistan. It is basically a U-shaped valley open to the...
.
Migration to Greece
In early 1990s, the Greek community of Kyrgyzstan was still vibrant, and numbered 3,000 members in all. Nevertheless, from 1985 onward, their number has been decreasing, due to outmigration by Greeks in search of work. According to the statistics, during the 1990s 860 members of the Greek community of Kyrgyzstan (0.57% if the total number of Greek immigrants from the former Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
) settled in Greece.
Organization
The community is represented by the Filia (Friendship) Association of Ethnic Greeks, headed by chairwoman Olga Kupriyanova. According to her, the Association has 300 members. They operate a GreekGreek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
school with a Greek teacher whose salary is covered by the Greek government, Secretariat of Greeks Abroad. The University of Bishkek
Bishkek
Bishkek , formerly Pishpek and Frunze, is the capital and the largest city of Kyrgyzstan.Bishkek is also the administrative centre of Chuy Province which surrounds the city, even though the city itself is not part of the province but rather a province-level unit of Kyrgyzstan.The name is thought to...
opened a Greek language department in 2003.