A N G E L I K I A N D R E O U, A N NA
MICHAIL, ELENI LANITI
MINORITY GROUPS AND THEIR
LANGUAGE RIGHTS IN THE
REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS
THE ARMENIAN MINORITY
IN THE REPUBLIC OF
CYPRUS
 Armenians existed in Cyprus since 6th Century.
 Main migration happened in 1915-1923, after the Armenian
Genocide in Turkey.
 Nowadays, there are around 2600 Armenians in the Republic of
Cyprus.
 Inhabitants of South Cyprus and Famagusta (those left after the
Turkish invasion, 1974).
 They are considered to be a ‘religious group’.
 They have the right to elect a representative to represent
themselves to the Cypriot Parliament.
 Most of them are bilinguals in Greek and Armenian.
 They have the right to use their language publicly and privately and
receive instructions to it, as well.
 There are three public schools that offer Armenians education in
Greek, English and Armenian.
 These schools are funded by the Cypriot government and are
supervised by the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of
Cyprus.
 These schools follow the official school curriculum, just like other
schools, but they organize activities that are related to the Armenian
language and culture. (classes in Armenian history, geography and
traditional Armenian dance).
THE MARONITES
MINORITY IN THE
REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
 They migrated in the 8th century
 Maronites are a religious group
 They chose to follow the Greek-Cypriot community
 They are now the third largest religious group in Cyprus
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
 Before Turkish invasion in 1974 they were located in Keryneia
 Now they are located in Nicosia
 In politics they have the right to elect a representative in the
Cypriot Parliament but he/she has not the right to vote
MARONITES IN NOWADAYS
 Educated in Greek schools
 They have their own culture
 They are trying to preserve their cultural identity with various ways
 Their language has been recognised as a minority language in 2008
THE LATIN AND ROMANI
MINORITIES IN THE
REBUBLIC OF CYPRUS
LATINS
 Latins arrived in Cyprus in the 16th century
 Migrants from Italy, Malta and France
 Nowadays there are approximately 900
Latins on the island.
They are mentioned as a religious group in the
Constitution.
They do not have their own language.
Mostly they are enrolled in Greek-Cypriot schools.
however they have separate Roman Catholic Schools.
ROMANI
 No official records for their arrival in Cyprus.
 There are around 500 and 1000 of Roma living on the island.
 They are not considered as a religious group.
 Most of them live in the occupied part of the island.
 There are no data available as it comes to their language status.
 They could receive educational support due to their socioeconomic status.
REFERENCES
 Spinthourakis, J. A., Karatzia-Stavlioti, E., Lempesi, G. E.,
Papadimitriou, I., Giannaka, C. (2008). Educational Policies that
Address Social Inequality. Department of Elementary Education
University of Patras, Greece. Retrieved from:
http://www.epasi.eu/CountryReportCY.pdf