Page 39 - GEORptMay18

Gogokhia, the former director of Georgia’s Lottery Company. The group allegedly received large amounts of ‘black money’ obtained from offshore companies, which was used to finance the party’s campaign for the 2014 municipal elections, Agenda.ge reported at the time, citing officials from the Investigating Service of Georgia’s Finance Ministry.
9.2.2 Transport corporate news
Austrian transport and logistics company Gebrüder Weiss has announced plans to commit a further €2mn to expand its terminal in Georgia, board member Senger-Weiss said during a meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, according to a Georgian government statement. Georgiaisononeofthekeytransitcorridors between Europe and Asia that are currently being revived under international initiatives like China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). According to the Georgian National Investment Agency, 65% to 95% of cargo flow in Georgia is transit. However, logistics infrastructure is so far under-developed. To date, Gebrüder Weiss has invested €10mn in its terminal in Tbilisi, which is one of the largest in the South Caucasus region. "We came to Georgia about five years ago, and we are very happy with our investment. We talked about businesses we attracted, and we attracted a large Japanese customer. This positive development will extend further,” commented Senger-Weiss. He added that expansion of the terminal is “the first step in the next phase of development” for the company in Georgia. Gebrüder Weiss is active in land transport, air and sea cargo transport, logistics and other areas, and has 150 branches in 28 countries, employing more than 7,000 people in total.
IranAir, the Islamic Republic’s flag carrier, has begun twice-weekly flights between Tehran and Tbilisi, Fars News Agency reported on April 5. The South Caucasus region is becoming the number one destination for Iranians looking to escape strict social regulations. It is seen by Iranian as low-cost compared with other traditional haunts such as the United Arab Emirates and Turkey. They are becoming prohibitively expensive to many Iranian travellers due to the collapse in the value of the Iranian rial over the past year.The IranAir flights which began at the back end of the Nowruz Persian new year holiday period commenced on March 27. Georgia’s Civil Aviation Agency made the announcement on April 3 in a press release. Iran’s main airline will continue the flights until October 28, at which point it will decide whether to increase or reduce its presence in the crowded Iran-Georgia air market. Eight other companies have been operating flights between Georgia and Iran. They are Georgian Airways, Myway Airlines, ATA Airlines, Taban Airlines, Qeshm Airlines, Zagros Airlines, Kish Air and Iran Aseman Airlines. Meanwhile, Georgia’s newest low-cost airline Myway is to launch its first charter flights between Tbilisi and Tehran in May.
9.2.3 Retail corporate news
Georgia’s Khareba Winery has dipped its toe into the European market, opening its first store in the Italian city of Bari, the company announced on its Facebook page . It is the winery’s first branded store in Europe, and follows a reorientation towards the European market since tariffs were lifted in 2014, as access to the country’s traditional export market, Russia, was blocked several times amid the poor political relations between Moscow and Tbilisi. Bari municipality representatives and a Georgian delegation attended the
39 GEORGIA Country Report May 2018 www.intellinews.com