Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that he is well aware of the situation in the Bolshoi Theater, knows about the moods in the company. The president is also aware of the personnel decisions. The head of state said that Valentin Elizariev returned to the Bolshoi Theater as artistic director with his consent. "I think that he can do a lot for the theater. He has already done much, he is a well-recognized name here," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
"But I did not like the things that happened last year," he added. In order to deal with the situation in the company, the president appointed a new Culture Minister Anatoly Markevich and gave him every right to sort things out. The minister, in turn, decided to appoint Vyacheslav Garbuzov director general of the Bolshoi Theater. "Was that a legitimate decision? Did he have the right to do that? It was and he did. I ask you to accept this decision of the minister," the president said addressing the theater staff. "It doesn't mean you have to be silent if the man turns out to be unfit for the job. But you have to give him a chance to prove himself,” he added.
