Kazakhstan to Join Abraham Accords, Trump Announces

The administration of President Donald Trump continues to expand the architecture of peace and stability in the Middle East, announcing Kazakhstan's accession to the "Abraham Accords." This step, which aims to normalize relations between Israel and Muslim-majority countries, marks a new phase for the Central Asian region.

The announcement followed a phone call between President Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. "We will soon announce a signing ceremony to make it official, and there are many other countries that are trying to join this club of STRENGTH," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. Praising this event, he noted: "Kazakhstan is the first country to join the 'Abraham Accords' during my second presidential term, and this is the first of many." He also added that the Kazakh government has issued a statement in which this decision was described as a "natural and logical" step. "Our upcoming accession to the 'Abraham Accords' is a natural and logical continuation of Kazakhstan's foreign policy based on dialogue, mutual respect, and regional stability," the statement said. Thus, Kazakhstan becomes the first Asian country to join this initiative since 2020, when the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco normalized relations with Israel.

For his part, President Tokayev reaffirmed Kazakhstan's commitment to strengthening its strategic partnership with the US. He emphasized that it was during Donald Trump's first presidential term that the relations between the two countries were enshrined at the level of an enhanced strategic partnership. According to Tokayev, the United States, having invested more than $100 billion in Kazakhstan's economy, remains the country's largest investor and the "perpetual engine" of its development. In recent years, trade turnover has doubled, reaching almost $5 billion, more than 600 American companies operate in the country, and Kazakhstan provides about a quarter of the US's domestic uranium demand.

Tokayev also expressed his high appreciation for Trump's "wise and bold policy," noting that it deserves support throughout the world. He expressed his admiration for the "Make America Great Again" concept, calling it a source of inspiration.

Although Kazakhstan already has full diplomatic and economic ties with Israel, this step is viewed not only in a symbolic context. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that this is an expanded partnership beyond just diplomatic relations. "This is... with all the other countries that are part of the agreement. Now you are creating a partnership that brings unique economic development on all sorts of issues that they can work on together," he explained.

This development took place in parallel with a meeting at the White House between Trump and the leaders of the five Central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The meeting is seen as part of the US's efforts to strengthen its influence in a region traditionally dominated by Russia and China. "Some of the countries represented here will join the 'Abraham Accords'... and those announcements will be made in the near future," Trump added.

According to observers, Kazakhstan's accession could give new impetus to the "Abraham Accords," the expansion of which had slowed down during the war in the Gaza Strip. The initiative, which is one of the most important foreign policy achievements of Trump's first presidential term, had already brought together the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco in 2020. The administration also has hopes for the possible accession of the regional superpower, Saudi Arabia, although Riyadh is conditioning its participation on clear steps towards the establishment of Palestinian statehood.