Crimea hopes that this summer more than 6 million tourists will spend their vacations on the peninsula. According to the head of Crimea, Sergey Aksenov, today “total preparation of all resort and hotel facilities is taking place to welcome tourist groups, according to the schedule of package tours.” The head of the Expert Group ‘Crimean Format', Sergey Mikheyev, believes that the economic and socio-political processes taking place in Crimea are generally positive.
However, Mikheyev believes that the federal government has made a mistake, prematurely ending the ‘transition’ period for the Crimean economy: “Crimea and Sevastopol need some sort of a longer transition plan that would take into account the difficult situation in which the region finds itself. Crimea is under sanctions, so it cannot be compared with other regions of the Russian Federation. These sanctions are indirectly supported by some Russian banks. They do not work there in the same way they work in other regions. How can we say that this region is in the same conditions? Crimea, in addition to the federal program, still requires some compromise strategy that would take into account the situation in the local economy.”
As for the political aspect, Mikheyev thinks “the ‘Crimean Consensus’ has a historical significance for Crimea and Russia. It has allowed not only to raise a wave of patriotism, but also to consolidate Russian society and a significant part of the Russian elite. Extreme situations give people make a tough choice. Despite all the current household costs, this is a positive moment.”
Meanwhile, yesterday, the Legislative Assembly rejected the idea proposed by Aleksei Chaly, the head of the Legislative Assembly of Sevastopol, to elect the head of the city publicly. Chaly tendered his resignation in late December, explaining the decision by a failure of the program on development of the legislative and executive power in the city. He suggested that Governor Sergey Menyailo should resign and prove his competence in elections.
According to Mikheyev, “the harshness that is present in Sevastopol in connection with the activity or position of Mr. Chalov is a working moment. I think Mr. Chalov must decide somehow what to do next, and to understand that the commonweal is more important than any ambitions.”
Mikheyev believes that in Sevastopol it is possible to make an agreement on this issue and to show the Sevastopol Consensus along with the Crimean Consensus as examples of solving such issues, it can be an example for other regions. “Sevastopol has more than 500 community organizations. It could be possible to unite these public organizations in some kind of assembly, association, so all the minor troubles could be resolved within the workflow. And this workflow and its stability are important for Crimea, and for Russia as a whole. Because we must understand that all sorts of ill-wishers at the external circuit, at least, they follow so closely everything that happens in Crimea, and they make a huge mountain out of a molehill. Although it is generally a normal case, the socio-political process, so this is politics. I do not see here anything strongly negative. In general, the value of Crimea, the ‘Crimean Spring’, the ‘Russian Spring’ is historical. It has already entered world history. We all need to cherish this consensus, which appeared two years ago,” Mikheyev is sure.
