On April 11, I visited Ivano-Frankivsk with a working visit, where I held a number of meetings with the administration of the region and city.

Ciscarpathian is one of the most promising regions of Ukraine in terms of tourism, but needs the significant investment. Together with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Israel to Ukraine, Eliav Belotserkovsky and the Head of Ivano-Frankivsk regional state administration, Oleh Honcharuk, we discussed a possible form of cooperation between Israel and Ivano-Frankivsk region.

I am very encouraged that the current authority of the region has focused on rebuilding of infrastructure in the region. After all, in order to increase the flow of tourists, it is necessary to restore the roads, develop new tourist trails, improve quality of service, etc . An example of the effective area is a tourist center "Bukovel", which is steadily growing and is profitable for the budget of the region. To promote the resort among the Israelites is a very good opportunity to increase significantly the number of tourists. I am sure that many of the residents of Israel - as our former compatriots as indigenous people will want to escape from the heat in the coolness of the Carpathians.

According to the Ambassador of Israel, due to the introduction between our countries of visa-free regime a number of tourists is actively growing who are coming to the region. However, almost all of them go to the Carpathian through Kyiv or Lviv, arriving from Tel Aviv. So, we discussed the possibility of opening such a direct flight from Israel to Ivano-Frankivsk. This will not only increase the tourist flow, but also the attractiveness of the region, which currently requires an investment. During the last year, Israeli investment in the region amounted to 500 thousand dollars, but perspective is bigger: in 2015, the export of its products to Israel has increased by almost 60% compared to the last year.

We also discussed thecooperation in the medical field: Ivano-Frankivsk refion is currently actively involved in the ATO and many immigrants from the region are needed the medical treatment that could be provided by Israel.

At the meeting with the Mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk, Ruslan Martsynkiv, there were discussed the implementation of Security system of the city on the example of the Israeli city Rishon Lezion. This centralized system that prevents an offense and is aimed at the ensuring the peace and order in the city. It works thanks to the surveillance cameras that cover the whole city. The information from them goes to a common control center, where the operators respond to the possible threats. This system can effectively coordinate all emergency services of the city. Earlier this year, the city safety system has already started to work in Lviv on the basis of cameras, which were installed before the European Football Championship. The use of this system in Frankivsk will reduce the crime rate in the city and increase security.

Today Ciscarpathian is actively working to attract the investment to the region, trying to improve their own standard of living. Israel's experience in the tourism industry and attracting investments is open to Ivano-Frankivsk and I hope that it will help in the development of the region.