Admiral du Fournet plaque unveiled at Tsitsernakaberd

PanARMENIAN.Net - At the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial, a commemorative plaque for French Admiral Louis Dartige du Fournet was unveiled during a solemn ceremony, which also included the symbolic burial of soil brought from his grave. The event honored du Fournet’s heroic rescue of more than 4,000 Armenians during the 1915 Musa Dagh resistance.

The ceremony was attended by Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, and members of the admiral’s family, as reported by the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI).

In 1915, as Vice Admiral of the French Eastern Fleet, du Fournet defied protocol and acted without waiting for government orders, launching a rescue mission that saved the besieged population of Musa Dagh and evacuated them to Port Said, Egypt.

AGMI Director Edita Gzoyan called it a historic day in Armenian-French relations, noting that for the first time in over 13 years, soil from du Fournet’s grave was placed at the memorial and a plaque installed in his honor. “By following only his conscience, du Fournet saved 4,092 Armenians. The Armenian people gratefully remember this great French humanitarian,” she said.

French Foreign Minister Barrot emphasized that the event paid tribute to du Fournet and the sailors of the French Navy’s Third Squadron in the Mediterranean, who, under his command, saved thousands of Armenian lives. He also acknowledged the courage of the people of Musa Dagh, who resisted forced deportations by the Ottoman Empire.

Armenian Foreign Minister Mirzoyan described the event as especially meaningful, noting that he had personally studied the actions of individuals who risked their lives to help Armenians during the genocide.