During the course of his visit to Tbilisi on April 13-16, French National Assembly delegate Rolan Blum had the occasion to meet with Georgian parliamentary and government representatives. During these talks, Mr. Blum raised the issue of the Javakhk Armenian community and the problems it faces. Mr. Blum said that the Georgian government has to date failed to resolve a number of minority rights issues according to European democratic standards. In particular, the French delegate raised the issue relating to the 10 year prison sentence handed down to Javakhk Armenian activist Vahagn Chakhalyan and noted that the Georgian authorities were persecuting Mr. Chakhalyan for purely political reasons. It is reported that Georgian officials refuted the charges made by Mr. Blum and had attempted to convince him that Chakhalyan was a "common hooligan" that got the sentence he deserved. In his report, Mr. Blum assured the "Yerkir Union" that he would continue to work in defense of the rights of the Javakhk Armenian community and that he would be taking measures to raise Chakhalyan’s case at the European Council’s Parliamentary Conference to take place on April 26-30.