Crimea's Temirgalyov fired

Crimean Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Temirgalyov offered his resignation to the head of the cabinet in the middle of June. However, eventually he was appointed as an aide to the republic's head. Yesterday it was announced that Temirgalyov has been fired. The news came after the official held a press conference in Moscow. During the conference he said that there are some serious problems with tax collection in Crimea and that the number of tourists decreased by 50 percent this year.

"The number of tourists is approaching 2 million people. Of course this figure decreased in comparison to last year. This issue has made the republic's leadership reconsider the future of the peninsula's tourist industry. We understand that competition in the tourist market is really strong and we have to evaluate our advantages and disadvantages. What do we think about the future of the tourist industry in Crimea? Before it joined the Russian Federation, Crimea was simply a summer resort. 2 out of 6 million people, who arrived in Crimea last year came in the period between June 15 and August 20. We want to make the region an all-year-round health-improving resort, rather than a summer resort only. The region has great potential. For instance, Crimean therapeutic muds are no less beneficial than the muds of the Dead Sea. We want to establish special clinics at all Crimean sanatoria. Such clinics will be able to provide special treatments for Russian tourists all year round. Thus Crimea will turn into an all-year-round health-improving resort," Temirgalyov said.

According to Temirgalyov, Crimea will manage to improve its tourist industry and establish a successful health-improving complex. "The draft law on a free economic zone will secure investment, including private investment. According to the bill, those tourist facilities which invest in establishing an all-year health-improving system will be provided with tax remissions and cheaper equipment. We believe its the quality of service and amount of income which is crucial, and not the number of tourists itself," he said.

Speaking about the region's former metropoly, Ukraine, Temirgalyov said that the economic situation in Ukraine is very dangerous. "The State Committee for Statistics has recently published its first report in 2014. According to the document, the economic situation is critical. The decrease in production is massive. The production of machinery decreased by 17.3 percent, the production of chemicals by 12.3 percent, the production in the sphere of ferrous metallurgy decreased by 9.3 percent, while ferrous metallurgy is the main source of cash for the Ukrainian budget," he said.

According to the information provided by Temirgalyov, the Ukrainian authorities mainly spent the state's money on covering the budget deficit and the military operation in Eastern Ukraine. "Of course the Ukrainian government had to apply to the IMF. We understand that these funds will be eventually spent on the military operation in the eastern part of the country. This means that for the first time in its history the IMF is financing war," Temirgalyov said.