U.S. Blacklists Three Georgia-Registered Companies over Iran Links

The U.S. Department of Commerce has entered thirty-seven entities under forty entries with three registered in Georgia to its list of entities acting contrary to the foreign policy or national security interests of the United States.

According to December 16 document, Gensis Engineering, ROV Solutions and SAEROS Safety ERO are the three companies added to the U.S. trade restriction list.

The Commerce document notes that these companies have supplied or attempted to supply U.S.-origin items that would “ultimately provide material support to Iran’s defense industries, in violation of U.S. export controls.”

According to the latest records from the Public Registry of Georgia, ROV Solutions was registered on August 6, 2012 and its 100% share is owned by Levan Kotiashvili, while Irakli Kotiashvili serves as firm director. According to the DJVU files available at Public Registry, the company is involved in import and export activities.

The company SAEROS Safety ERO was registered on November 25, 2013 and according to the latest records, its 100% share is owned by Nino Chulakidze and again Iraki Kotiashvili serves as the director. According to the same records, the company is involved in “all activities not banned by law.”

According to Georgia’s Public Registry, both companies – ROV Solutions and SAEROS Safety ERO are registered at the same address in the capital (2 Platon Ioseliani Str., Tbilisi, Georgia), while the U.S. document indicates another address (12a Tashkent Str., Tbilisi).

The Commerce names Ioseliani Street in Tbilisi as the place of registration of Gensis Engineering, while the latter cannot be searched in the Georgian Public Registry, perhaps meaning that the firm is not registered with the same name as indicated in the U.S. document.

According to the same document, ROV Solutions has an alternate address in Hong Kong region of China, while Gensis Engineering has the alternate address in Istanbul, Turkey. The Commerce listed these two companies under China and Turkey, respectively, as well as in the Georgia section.

Giorgi Noniashvili of the European Georgia party said that the owners of the three companies are members of the same family. He said no additional information can be searched about them which “raises questions”.

“It is important to clarify who stands behind these companies that were supplying American items to the Iranian Defense Forces,” Noniashvili added.

The Georgian government has yet to comment on the issue.

Other companies added to the U.S. Entity List are located in China (34), Turkey (2) and Malaysia (1).

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