Kostas Politis, President of the Greek Community in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, spoke on Voice of Greece and the program “Our Global Voice” with Dimitris Kontogiannis about the history of the Greeks who found themselves in this landlocked Central Asian country, and about the new prospects now opening up with the establishment of the Greek Embassy there and the arrival of a teacher to offer Greek language instruction.
Mr. Politis, who was born in Thessaloniki and studied in France, had travelled to many countries for work—he is a specialist in restorations, a museologist and a designer—before visiting Uzbekistan on a professional assignment and deciding to settle there permanently 21 years ago. Five years ago, he became President of the Greek Community and “revived” the Greek Cultural Center of Tashkent, where many events are now organized for national anniversaries and beyond.
He emphasized that there are roughly 1,000–1,200 people of Greek descent living there, although they do not speak Greek. However, the arrival of a Greek teacher for the first time marks a new beginning: more than 100 people expressed interest in learning Greek, leading to the creation of 10 language classes last September. As an added incentive, the children who perform best in Greek by the end of the year will be rewarded with participation in the summer camps organized in Greece by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the diaspora.
Mr. Politis hopes for closer cooperation between the local community—about 1,200 people of Greek descent—and Greece. He believes that the opening of the Embassy and, later, a Consulate will help resolve many practical issues affecting them, such as passports, marriages, and more.
He is also optimistic that in 2026 a direct air connection between Tashkent and Greece will finally begin—currently all flights operate via Istanbul—since there is strong interest from Uzbek travel agencies that view Greece as a luxury tourism destination. With the Embassy now operating, visa issues and related procedures can be handled more efficiently.