On February 21, the city of Valence paid tribute to the memory of the Manouchian Group on the occasion of the 81st anniversary of the execution of the members of its members, Armenia’s Consulate General in Lyon informs.
Attending the ceremony were Mr. Bruno Retailleau, Minister of Interior of France, Mrs. Nariné Nikolyan, Consul General of Armenia in Lyon, Mr. Paul Christophle, Member of Parliament for Drôme, Mr. Nicolas Daragon, Mayor of Valence and Vice-President of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Mrs. Marlène Mourier, Mayor of Bourg-lès-Valence, Regional Councilor, Mrs. Marie-Pierre Mouton, President of the Drôme department, Mr. Thierry Devimeux, Prefect of Drôme, members of the National Association of Veterans and Friends of the Resistance (ANACR) and representatives of Armenian associations.
Addressing the event, the Minister paid tribute to the courage of Missak Manouchian, a survivor of the Armenian genocide, and his companions, shot on February 21, 1944 at Mont-Valérien, noting that Manouchian made France his homeland and the Resistance his fight. “His sacrifice unites two stories – that of a wounded people and a nation fighting for its freedom. His memory remains a bridge between Armenia and France, a call for courage and resistance,” he said.
