Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Russians on the seventh anniversary of Crimea's return to Russia.
"This is a holiday for all of us, for our entire country, big, vast Russia," the head of state said as he opened a meeting Thursday via video link with public representatives of Crimea and Sevastopol.
Putin called the anniversary of Crimea's reunification with the Russian Federation "without any exaggeration a historic date."
A self-sufficient region
Putin is sure that Crimea must become a self-sufficient region with the highest standards of living.
The head of state admitted that there are still unresolved problems. In his opinion, it is public representatives who can better than experts "unbiasedly and objectively assess the positive changes that are coming to life" in Crimea and Sevastopol".
"Together with you, with the entire country, we have achieved a great deal. We are investing substantial funds into the local economy, the social sector, the transport infrastructure, particularly focusing on preserving the historical and cultural legacy of the ancient, heroic and, without exaggeration, sacred Crimean soil," - stressed Putin. According to his assessment, "this work is continuous, systematic, and covering all key areas".
"Of course, we still need to do so much more," said the President noting that many problems have built up over the previous decades, "many of which were never actually addressed all those years". "These problems include water supply and generally decrepit and dilapidated infrastructure. For decades, there was no investment; on the contrary, resources were drained," Putin said, referring to the years when Crimea was part of Ukraine.
"We need to quickly make up for the lost time, move forward and create conditions for a decent and comfortable life, good living standards and leisure. It is necessary to expand opportunities in healthcare and education, to support Crimean and Sevastopol companies and attract investors so that the economy does not get stalled between tourist seasons; so that new jobs are created and, obviously, wages grow and professionals and young people are in demand in different areas. Crimea and Sevastopol must become self-sufficient, successful, safe and modern regions with the highest living standards, "- said the head of state.
"We need to quickly make up for the lost time, move forward and create conditions for a decent and comfortable life, good living standards and leisure. It is necessary to expand opportunities in healthcare and education, to support Crimean and Sevastopol companies and attract investors so that the economy does not get stalled between tourist seasons; so that new jobs are created and, obviously, wages grow and professionals and young people are in demand in different areas. Crimea and Sevastopol must become self-sufficient, successful, safe and modern regions with the highest living standards," said the head of state.
He is waiting for public representatives to make proposals on the development of the region. Putin added that he would hold a special meeting with government and regional leaders on Thursday, where these initiatives would be taken into account.
Growth in the number of medical institutions
The number of medical institutions in Crimea has doubled in seven years and more than quadrupled in Sevastopol, Putin said.
"Over these seven years that have passed since Crimea's reunification with Russia, the number of medical institutions in Crimea has doubled, in Sevastopol - 4.6 times. Medical institutions continue to be equipped with equipment. Of course, much more needs to be done," he said.
Putin reminded that a multidisciplinary clinical center for 700 beds "with a brilliant medical staff" was opened in Crimea. "The center provides for many measures: equipping, building new facilities, equipping with medical equipment. And it is very important to train medical personnel - all this is in our programs, all this will be done," the president added.
He drew attention to the fact that there are still issues of licensing in the field of healthcare. "[The issue] is subtle, related to the fact that many public and private medical institutions in Crimea and Sevastopol are not yet ready to implement the provision of services to the population, the residents of Crimea and Sevastopol at the level of Russian federal standards. We understand that, so strict licensing has been postponed for two years. But after this period, of course, I ask the leadership of Crimea and Sevastopol and relevant authorities to do everything to complete the preparation and to ensure that people could receive medical services at the appropriate federal level, " concluded Putin.
The President also drew attention to the fact that improving the quality of services requires some time. "Of course, it requires both finances and time, but it's not even about money. It's not about money, it's about setting up the work properly, of proper quality, on time, to be able, relying on the local staff, to solve problems of a modern level. All this is provided, we will move in this direction", Putin added.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS