100 DAYS OF CRIMEAN PREMIER

The first 100 days of the new Prime Minister of the Crimea have been marked by a number of failures. The Republican Party of the peninsula said it at a briefing for journalists held Thursday in Simferopol. Speaking at this briefing leader of the Crimean republicans Alexander Gress, his deputy Galina Grzibovskaya and political expert Serguei Kisilev pointed out that first steps of any government are the most difficult. However, Mr. Matvienko’s initiatives make it already possible to form an opinion on strong and weak sides of his cabinet.
The Republicans identified at least eight failures of the Matvienko government. The premier failed to normalize relations between him and members of the local legislation, he is not creating a proper investment climate, the tourist industry is in deep recession, nothing has been done to resolve the crisis in communal services, the government does not protect the interests of the Crimean farmers, land problems are not settled and the steps taken in this direction may further exacerbate ethnic tensions. These tensions have been constantly on the rise because Mr. Matvienko is courting the Crimean Tatar Medjlis, illegitimate organization posing as a parallel power structure. There is no dialogue with the population and residents of the Crimea are virtually excluded from debates and decisions taken on important issues.
Mrs. Galina Grzibovskaya criticized Anatoly Matvienko for concluding an agreement with illegitimate Crimean Tatar organization the Medjlis. Mr. Matvienko is denying that such an agreement exists. Mrs. Grzibovskaya said she had personnaly seen it.