The Greeks in Kazakhstan are mainly the descendants of

Pontic Greeks The Pontic Greeks ( pnt, Ρωμαίοι, Ρωμίοι, tr, Pontus Rumları or , el, Πόντιοι, or , , ka, პონტოელი ბერძნები, ), also Pontian Greeks or simply Pontians, are an ethnically Greek group i ...

who were deported there by

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

, from southern

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

and the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...

region, at first the Crimean Greeks on 1944, under the resolution 5984 of June 2, 1944. then the

( Greeks in Georgia and Greeks in Armenia, Greeks in Azerbaijan) Greeks on June 1949, Feb 1950, Aug 1950. The total number of deported persons was about 60,000 people. Nowadays there are between 10 and 12 thousand ethnic Greeks living in Kazakhstan in 17 communities, which together with the

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the ea ...

community make up the FILIA (''friendship'' in Greek) Federation of Greek Communities of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The Federation prints a small newspaper, organizes dance events, and offers

Greek language Greek ( el, label= Modern Greek, Ελληνικά, Elliniká, ; grc, Ἑλληνική, Hellēnikḗ) is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, native to Greece, Cyprus, southern Italy ( Calabria and Salento), southe ...

and dance classes. At the moment in Kazakhstan there are 6 ethnic Greek teachers funded by the General Secretariat of Greeks Abroad. Furthermore, Greek is taught by two teachers seconded from Greece.Greece MFA: Greek community in Kazakhstan

Notable people

* Charalambos Cholidis, Greek Olympic wrestler * Aleksandr Khapsalis, retired Soviet football player * Evstaphiy Pechlevanidis, retired Soviet and Greek professional football player *

Savvas Kofidis Savvas Kofidis ( el, Σάββας Κωφίδης; born 5 February 1961) is a Greek professional football manager and former player. Career Born in modern-day Kazakhstan to Pontic Greek parents, he started his career in Iraklis, debuting on 18 J ...

, Greek former football player and football coach *

Ilya Ilyin Ilya Aleksandrovich Ilyin (russian: Илья Александрович Ильин; born 24 May 1988) is a retired Kazakhstani weightlifter who won four world championships. On 12 December, 2015 at the President's Cup in Grozny, Russia, Ilyin ...

, weightlifter (Greek Pontian maternal grandfather, Iakovos Fountoukidis)

References

Ethnic groups in Kazakhstan European diaspora in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

Greece–Kazakhstan relations {{Greece-stub

Notable people

See also

References