Crimea prime minister Dzharty dies of cancer

Crimea prime minister Dzharty dies of cancer

2011-08-18 03:19:09 GMT+7 (ICT)

SIMFEROPOL (BNO NEWS) -- Vasyl Dzharty, the prime minister of Ukraine's autonomous republic of Crimea, died as a result of lung cancer on late Tuesday evening, the government announced on Wednesday. He was 53.

Dzharty, who was a member of Ukraine's Party of Regions, was appointed prime minister in March 2010 with the approval of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. His appointment was supported by 82 out of 89 members of the Crimean parliament who registered to vote.

The Crimean government said on Wednesday that Dzharty died as a result of a serious illness, without giving other details. The prime minister had been suffering from lung cancer since late 2010 and underwent treatment at hospitals in Crimea, Russia, and Germany.

"Many considered him a leader who was able to unite all of Crimea," the Crimean chairman of the council of ministers said in a statement. "His work is associated with many successful cases during the 1.5 year Dzharty was at the head of the Crimean government."

Yanukovych also expressed his condolences over the death of Dzharty, calling him an 'extraordinary' man. "A sincere and sensitive father, a loving husband and a distinguished statesman whose name will forever remain in the modern history of Ukraine," Yanukovych said. "I bow my head in sorrow and share the bitter pain of irreparable loss with [the family]. The bright memory of Vasyl Dzharty will forever remain in our hearts."

A memorial service for Dzharty is scheduled to be held on Thursday morning in Simferopol, the capital of Crimea. The autonomous republic has a population of nearly 2 million.

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