President meets newly appointed leadership of Crimea

"I understand well enough that after five years you're tired of the devastation, of the destructive actions of government and many problems that have accumulated during this time", he said.

The President instructed leadership of the Autonomous Republic to develop a program of overcoming the recession in Crimea as soon as possible and with the obligatory participation of the public and local governments. "This is a task that we must fulfill", he said.

Speaking about the preparations for holding EURO 2012 finals in Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych said: "We will attract investment. We must accelerate the construction of EURO 2012 infrastructure. We cannot let this project fail in Ukraine, because it is about our image".

The President also told about the priorities of the newly established Economic Reforms Committee. Viktor Yanukovych said that the Committee chaired by him would deal with designating main directions of Ukraine's strategic development in the nearest future and further, particularly within the framework of the "Ukraine-2020" project.

Another important task the Committee will execute is permanent supervision over implementation of economic reforms, the definition of target points and continuous work together with all state authorities and the public on speeding up reforms and tackle the problems that arise in this way.

In his speech the President stressed the need for reforms in housing, healthcare (particularly introduction of health insurance) and improvement of the environmental situation in Ukraine.

Separately, President Yanukovych mentioned the subject of fighting corruption, the effectiveness of which largely depends on the overall success in overcoming the recession and on Ukraine’s advance on the path of reforms.

In conclusion of his speech Viktor Yanukovych wished the new Crimean leadership that they always effectively responded to the situation and cared for the worthy image of state authorities.