PARIS (Public Radio of Armenia) — On February 21Armenia’s Ambassador to France, Arman Khachatryan, took part in a memorial ceremony at the Panthéon in Paris marking the second anniversary of the pantheonization of Armenian Resistance heroes Missak Manouchian and his wife, Mélinée Manouchian. The event was organized at the initiative of the National Association of Armenian Veterans and Resistance Fighters (ANACRA).
The ceremony brought together representatives of France’s national and local authorities, members of the Armenian community, relatives of Missak and Mélinée Manouchian, as well as cultural and public figures.
Speeches were delivered by Ambassador Khachatryan, ANACRA President Léon Hovnanyan, and Jean-Pierre Sakoun, President of the Committee for the Pantheonization of Missak Manouchian. A prayer was offered by Bishop Grigor Khachatryan, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of France. The ceremony concluded with a wreath-laying tribute and the performance of the French national anthem.
In his remarks, Khachatryan referred to the life journey of the Manouchians, highlighting the symbolic significance of their legacy in Armenian-French relations. He noted that 80 years after his death, Missak Manouchian was laid to rest in the Panthéon, becoming the first foreign member of the French Resistance to receive such a high honor.
In this context, Khachatryan emphasized that commemorating the couple reaffirms the historical solidarity between the Armenian and French peoples, as well as their shared commitment to human dignity and national sovereignty as fundamental values.
