French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot attended the unveiling of a plaque at Yerevan’s Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex dedicated to French Vice-Admiral Louis Dartige du Fournet who ordered his ships to rescue over 4,000 Armenian men, women and children from certain death in the foothills of Musa Dagh/Ler (Mount Moses) in what is present-day southeastern Turkey on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

On July 13, 1915, during the Armenian Genocide, Ottoman officials ordered the 5,000-6,000 inhabitants of six remote Armenian villages on Musa Dagh to prepare for deportation.

In 1915, the Armenians who opposed the deportation order of the Young Turk government and organized self-defense on Musa Dagh, raised two flags made from bed sheets that would be visible from the sea. One of the flags bore a red cross, the other had "Christians are in danger" written on it. They also made bonfires around the flags, hoping to draw attention.

PHOTO: French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot

The crew of the French cruiser The Guichen spotted the Armenian appeal for help and requested an order from the French high command to do so.

Without waiting for an answer, on September 12, 1915, du Fournet rescued 4,058 Armenians, including 1,563 children, on five French cruisers – Le Guichen, L'Amiral Charner, Le Desaix, La Foudre and Le D'Estrées.

“I realized that we had to help these miserable people,” du Fournet wrote in his diary published in Paris 1920.

Third Fleet of the French Navy transported the Armenians to the Egyptian port of Port Said on September 13. The evacuated Musa Dagh Armenians were already in Egypt when du Fournet received the French government's response to his telegram, which read: "And where is Musa Dagh?"

“The little Musaler children were passed from hand to hand over the foaming waves. They will never know what danger they were saved from,” the vice-admiral wrote in his memoirs.

 Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, said that the ceremony pays tribute to the admiral and the French Third Fleet in the Mediterranean, the resistance of the Musa Dagh Armenians, the loyalty of their descendants, and the admiral’s spirit of resolve, allowing him to navigate the chaos of the First World War.

Photo: Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan

Armenian Foreign Ararat Mirzoyan said the unveiling of Admiral Du Fournet’s memorial plaque was of personal significance since before entering politics he studied various aspects of the Armenian Genocide and specifically the history of those whose names are enshrined on the memorial wall: missionaries, ambassadors, military figures, like Admiral du Fournet, and ordinary people.

“The history of the Genocide is a history of tragedy, but also of hope, because there were such people. Du Fournet and others who saved Armenians did so by risking their lives and careers. And this makes us believe in humanity. The admiral's action is a true demonstration of leadership," said Minister Mirzoyan.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot travelled Armenia to participate in the Yerevan Dialogue-2025 international conference. He had private talks with his counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Photos: French Embassy in Armenia Facebook page