Cyprus-Forum.com

[cypezokyli]

thanks pontious for the reply.
suddenly people seem not to be able to learn. even though i am absolutely not in favor of nationalism, the treatment of people whodreamed about motherland never seems to change. there are so many stories that i ve read considering the greeks/christians that had to go to greece in the exchange of the populations in the 1920 or even afterwards those who left from instambul... thy were usually accepted as the "turks". which for them, that was an insult since they were ready to abandon everything just for sth that was called "motherland".

[Pontious]

ok , i don't know

[dms007]

what is a greek pontian?

[cypezokyli]

pontos is a region in northen turkey (not sure about the turkish name).
there used to be there a number of christians and muslims during the ottoman empire. the cristians despite assimilating a number of turkish words, they spoke a kind of greek dialect, which for us if not seen written its way difficult to understand. i dont know how close that was with the muslim dialect of the region, if there is one (that is if they just speak turkish like all the rest). i also dont know if there were for long period problem with the muslims in the region. they have for sure same music, dances and costumes...i mean they lived in the same region!!

anyway, in the early 1900 with rise of nationalism everywhere, those people were either killed or forced to live..some came to greece and got asimilated, some escaped in russia, but didnot know that going there the would be found with a new soviet state. the system as far as i know was not kind to them or their culture either. afer the system broke down, a number of them came either to greece or to cyprus. the greeks as far as i know used the for political reasons, and did not really welcomed them as their brothers.

the greekpontians like the armenians claim also that a genocide was undertaken against them. in a sense, there are none of them left there, of the couple of millions or more that used to be in northern turkey in the beggining of the last century. now, whether u want to call it a genoside or not, is not important as far as i am concerned. i also dont know the history that well since such discussions usually end up on who started first, or if the numbers are right... all i have to say is :its a pity. and it is sad

[Piratis]

Almost all Pontians in Cyprus are Greek citizens and can be in Cyprus just like all other EU citizens. But they are not Cyprus citizens.

Pontious, why do you think there is this negative attitude against Pontians? Don't you think that you might be doing something wrong and contributing to this?

[sadik]

pontos is a region in northen turkey (not sure about the turkish name).

It's the region around Trabzon. The city of the team that Anarthosis beat.

there used to be there a number of christians and muslims during the ottoman empire. the cristians despite assimilating a number of turkish words, they spoke a kind of greek dialect, which for us if not seen written its way difficult to understand. i dont know how close that was with the muslim dialect of the region, if there is one (that is if they just speak turkish like all the rest).

I saw a few Pontians at the checkpoints once. They looked like the people in the north eastern anatolia and they spoke Turkish like they speak in that region. It was difficult to understand.

I met a few settlers in the north from that region who can speak pontian Greek. They were greek speaking muslims. That region is an interesting place. There is also a Muslim group speaking Armenian and a Christian-Armenian group speaking Turkish as their native language. There is also another language, similar to Georgian, spoken in the region by some 200 thousand people.

i also dont know if there were for long period problem with the muslims in the region. they have for sure same music, dances and costumes...i mean they lived in the same region!!

I'm not aware of such problems. All the various groups of people in that region seem to have a lot in common.

[Pontious]

the cristians despite assimilating a number of turkish words, they spoke a kind of greek dialect, which for us if not seen written its way difficult to understand.

It's the onl greek dialect that have the most ancient words in all of dialects in greece. Lol affcurse is difficult.

i dont know how close that was with the muslim dialect of the region, if there is one (that is if they just speak turkish like all the rest).

Lol it's the same. lol they speak Turkish because they live in Turkey.

they have for sure same music, dances and costumes...i mean they lived in the same region!!

Lol they are pontians.Aren't they

the greeks as far as i know used the for political reasons, and did not really welcomed them as their brothers.

Amin, at least one person knows that

t's the region around Trabzon. The city of the team that Anarthosis beat.

Not only Trabzon's region. All the cities in Back sea( Efksinos Pontos-karadeniz) were Greek.All the regions in black sea were Greek.

There is also a Muslim group speaking Armenian and a Christian-Armenian group speaking Turkish as their native language. There is also another language, similar to Georgian, spoken in the region by some 200 thousand people. [quote]

1)You mean the Armenians of Hempselin.
2)This language is Caucasian near Migrelian and Kartvelian dialect (Caucasian dialects). This languege is called Lazuri and the people are called "Laz" and they are Georgians.

[Agios Amvrosios]

Mate I don't care if there from tou diavolou ths manas.

if they are in Cyprus with a valid visa/european passport, abide by the laws and they pay their taxes good luck to them.

[BirKibrisli]

Pontious,

Welcome to the forum.I am just curious though...If you emigrated to be united with your "motherland" why aren't you in Greece???
Please don't get me wrong.I am not questioning your right to be in Cyprus. I am just wondering why Cyprus and not Greece???

[Pontious]

Pontious,

Welcome to the forum.I am just curious though...If you emigrated to be united with your "motherland" why aren't you in Greece???
Please don't get me wrong.I am not questioning your right to be in Cyprus. I am just wondering why Cyprus and not Greece???

I said before that we came here only for the money.
we came to work.