Erlan Akinzhinov, an official in the Kazakh Ministry of Energy, said on Wednesday that Kazakhstan has asked Russia to allow it to resume oil exports to Germany via the Drugba pipeline, and is awaiting a response.
Akinzhinov told reporters that Kazakhstan has the technical capacity to resume exports via the Drugba line, which passes through Russian territory. He said: “We are now awaiting a response from the Russian side.”
Russia had said in April that it was diverting Kazakh crude oil heading to Germany to other export routes to avoid using the Druzhba line, due to technical restrictions.
The Schwedt refinery in Germany, which supplies the capital Berlin with fuel, relies partly on Kazakhstani crude oil that arrives via pipelines.
Akinzhinov also noted that oil production in Kazakhstan is expected to reach 99 million metric tons by 2027.
He added that things for the year 2026 are “going according to plan,” with production expected to reach 96 million tons.
The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing announced the adoption of controls and procedures to regulate real estate transactions on lands subject to white land fees. It included organizing cases of restricting the transfer of ownership according to specific conditions and procedures, which contributes to organizing real estate transactions, taking into account the needs of owners and developers, and supporting the continuity of real estate development and investment projects.
The Ministry explained that the adoption of these controls comes in implementation of Cabinet Resolution No. 263, which stipulated that real estate transactions transferring ownership of lands subject to white land fees should not be documented except after verifying the payment of the fees due on them, in order to enhance the commitment to payment and regulate real estate transactions, taking into account cases that require special regulation of transactions.
It indicated that the cases include providing the entire land as an in-kind share in the capital of a real estate investment fund, dividing the estate among the heirs, selling the land to a buyer who will develop or build it during the additional period granted to the taxpayer according to the specified conditions, in addition to sorting the lands subject to the fee or merging them among the owners themselves for the purpose of developing it, and actions transferring ownership based on judicial rulings.
She added that the cases also include actions carried out within approved projects for off-plan sale and leasing, and actions in which the state is a party, or arising from expropriation for the public interest and temporary seizure of real estate.
The Ministry indicated that documenting actions in these cases requires completing the necessary regulatory procedures, while continuing to commit to paying the fees due in accordance with the specified controls, stressing that these cases do not represent an exemption from fees, but rather regulatory paths that allow the documentation of specific actions in accordance with their regulatory requirements.
The Ministry confirmed that these controls come within its efforts to develop the real estate market system, raise the efficiency of land exploitation, and stimulate investment and real estate development, which contributes to increasing the real estate supply, providing diverse housing options, and enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of the sector, in keeping with the aspirations of the beneficiaries and supporting the goals of improving the quality of life.
In a step aimed at addressing the financial obligations accumulated by establishments that have ended their commercial activities and left the Saudi market, Asharq Al-Awsat learned that the General Authority for Social Insurance has allowed this category to benefit from a 100 percent exemption from insurance debts, in accordance with the approved controls, which paves the way for settling their financial conditions and ending the outstanding files, ensuring the stability of private sector businesses in the local market and addressing the stumbles of the departing establishments.
This step comes within a package of improvements that the Authority is working to implement to develop its services provided to employers and establishments, in response to the observations and suggestions it monitored during its direct meetings with officials and business owners, in cooperation with the Chambers of Commerce.
This initiative carries an economic and organizational dimension that goes beyond reducing debts, as it aims to address financial and administrative backlogs left by establishments that have left the market, and facilitate the regular closure of their files.
The most important value of this step lies in building a balance between protecting the rights of insurance companies and subscribers on the one hand, and taking into account the economic conditions of establishments that have stopped operating on the other hand. It also enhances the concept of regulatory flexibility in the business market, so that accumulated obligations do not turn into a permanent obstacle to settling financial and administrative situations.
The initiative reflects a trend towards dealing with commercial default from a more flexible perspective, based on addressing accumulated obligations instead of keeping them a continuous burden on business owners, which supports confidence in regulatory procedures and enhances the attractiveness of the business environment in the Kingdom.
This step gains importance in light of the changing nature of the business sector, as new establishments enter the market annually, while other establishments end their activities for reasons related to competition, high costs, or changing market conditions.
Settlement of the insurance files of departing establishments would reduce the administrative and financial burdens on their owners, help them arrange their economic situations, and perhaps create conditions for them to return to commercial activity in the future, without old obligations remaining an obstacle to them, according to what the regulations allow.
According to private information, the General Authority for Social Insurance informed all companies and institutions of the improvements that have been implemented for business sector services, including debt relief, to enable establishments that have ended their activity to address their insurance obligations, and to facilitate the completion of the regulatory procedures associated with ending their activity, in a way that reduces the financial burdens on business owners whose establishments have stopped practicing commercial activity.
In a related context, the improvements included developing services for registering establishments, terminating their activity, and managing their owners, in addition to addressing recurring technical problems and raising the quality of digital services, which contributes to improving the experience of beneficiaries and accelerating the completion of transactions.
It also developed electronic payment options through the “Qawsi Business” application, allowing employers to pay amounts exceeding 30,000 riyals ($8,000) in multiple payments, in a step aimed at facilitating the fulfillment of financial obligations and improving the flexibility of payment processes.
The updates also included enhancing transparency in dealing with transactions, by clarifying the reasons for rejecting work injuries and subscribers’ transactions, and activating notifications for receiving applications, accepting them, returning them, or rejecting them through the “Aqsa Business” and “Tawakkalna” applications.
These improvements reflect Social Insurance’s orientation towards developing the digital services system, facilitating procedures for employers, and enhancing the efficiency of dealing with insurance obligations, in a way that supports the business environment and contributes to addressing the outstanding financial and administrative files of establishments.
