The Pontic Passport Project exists to restore what history erased. Pontus was a civilization, a place, a people. Indigenous to the southern Black Sea coast of what is now northeastern Turkey, stretching from the Halys River eastward through the Pontic Alps and fertile river valleys.

We are indigenous to this land. We are descendants of those kingdoms, those cities, those mountains. Greeks have lived in Pontus since the time of the Argonauts, of Herodotus and Xenophon. Greek colonies were established on the Pontic coast around 800 BC.

Approximately 353,000 Pontic Greeks perished. Mass expulsions, massacres, forced labour battalions, death marches. An entire ethno-religious community targeted for erasure.

Many Pontians remain in present-day Turkey, their identities obscured through forced assimilation, renamed and displaced within the very land that was theirs. Some carry their identity openly. Others carry it hidden. This project reaches all of you.

The International Association of Genocide Scholars recognized the Pontic Greek genocide on 16 December 2007. The Greek Parliament officially recognized it on 24 February 1994, declaring 19 May as national day of remembrance.

The United Nations has not yet made a formal statement. The European Parliament and Turkey have not recognized it. This is a gap we seek to close through this work.

We do not wait for external validation. We recognize ourselves. The Pontic Passport Project is a declaration of indigenous autonomy.

Across the world, marginalized peoples have taken sovereignty of their own territories, their own governance, their own identity without waiting for state permission. We follow that model.

We document ourselves. We build our own archives. We issue our own passports. We grow through community, through word of mouth, through Pontians telling other Pontians: your identity matters, your lineage is real, your claim is legitimate.

Institutional acknowledgment will follow our assertion, not precede it. We are building toward a future where Pontic identity is ours to govern, owned by us, defended by us, inherited by those who come after.

Το Ποντιακό Έργο Διαβατηρίου υπάρχει για να επαναφέρει αυτό που η ιστορία εξάλειψε. Ο Πόντος ήταν ένας πολιτισμός, ένας τόπος, ένας λαός. Ιθαγενείς στη νότια ακτή της Μαύρης Θάλασσας.

Είμαστε ιθαγενείς αυτής της γης. Είμαστε απόγονοι εκείνων των βασιλείων, εκείνων των πόλεων, εκείνων των βουνών.

Περίπου 353.000 Ποντιακοί Έλληνες έχασαν τη ζωή τους. Μαζικές εκτοπίσεις, σφαγές, τάγματα εργασίας, πορείες θανάτου.

Πολλοί Πόντιοι παραμένουν στη σημερινή Τουρκία, με την ταυτότητά τους κρυμμένη. Αυτό το έργο απευθύνεται σε όλους σας.

Η Διεθνής Ένωση Μελετητών Γενοκτονίας αναγνώρισε τη γενοκτονία στις 16 Δεκεμβρίου 2007. Το Ελληνικό Κοινοβούλιο την αναγνώρισε στις 24 Φεβρουαρίου 1994.

Τα Ηνωμένα Έθνη και η Τουρκία δεν έχουν αναγνωρίσει τη γενοκτονία.

Δεν περιμένουμε εξωτερική επικύρωση. Αναγνωριζόμαστε εμείς οι ίδιοι. Το Ποντιακό Έργο Διαβατηρίου είναι μια διακήρυξη ιθαγενούς αυτονομίας.

Τεκμηριώνουμε τον εαυτό μας. Χτίζουμε τα δικά μας αρχεία. Εκδίδουμε τα δικά μας διαβατήρια. Χτίζουμε προς ένα μέλλον όπου η ποντιακή ταυτότητα ανήκει σε εμάς.

Pontos Pasaport Projesi, tarihin sildigi seyi geri kazandirmak icin vardir. Pontos bir uygarlik, bir yer, bir halkti. Bugunki kuzeydogu Turkiye'nin guney Karadeniz kiyisinin yerlileri.

Bu topraklarin yerlileriyiz. O kraalliklarin, o sehirlerin, o daglarin torunlariyiz.

Yaklasik 353.000 Pontoslu Rum hayatini kaybetti. Toplu surgunler, katliamlar, zorla calistirma taburlari, olum yuruyusleri.

Pek cok Pontoslu bugunku Turkiye'de yasayor, kimlikleri zorla asimilasyonla gizlenmis. Bu proje hepinize ulasiyor.

Uluslararasi Soykirim Arastirmacilari Dernegi, Pontoslu Rum soykirimini 16 Aralik 2007'de tanidi. Yunan Parlamentosu 24 Subat 1994'te soykırımı taniyarak 19 Mayis'i ulusal anis gunu ilan etti.

Birlesmis Milletler ve Turkiye soykirimi tanimadi.

Dis dogrulama beklemiyoruz. Kendimizi biz taniyoruz. Pontos Pasaport Projesi, yerli ozerkligin bir bildirisidir.

Dunya genelinde dislanmis halklar, devlet izni beklemeksizin kendi topraklarinin egemenligi almistir. Ayni modeli izliyoruz.

Kendimizi belgeliyoruz. Kendi arsivlerimizi kuruyoruz. Kendi pasaportlarimizi cikartiyoruz. Pontos kimliginin tarafimizdan yonetilecegi bir geleceğe dogru insa ediyoruz.