Kazakhstan to Join Abraham Accords in Symbolic Move Backing Trump Initiative
Washington: Kazakhstan is set to become the latest nation to join the Abraham Accords — the landmark agreement between Israel and several Arab and Muslim-majority countries — in a largely symbolic move aimed at reinforcing an initiative central to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s first term.
The decision, announced on Thursday, carries symbolic weight as Kazakhstan has maintained diplomatic relations with Israel since 1992. Unlike the other signatories — Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates — Kazakhstan is geographically distant from Israel and had normalized ties shortly after gaining independence from the Soviet Union.
Three U.S. officials, speaking anonymously to The Associated Press, confirmed the move ahead of its public announcement.
Soon after, Trump took to his social media platform, revealing he had a “great call” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. He hailed Kazakhstan as the “first country of my Second Term to join the Abraham Accords — the first of many.”
Calling it “a major step forward in building bridges across the world,” Trump said more nations were “lining up to embrace peace and prosperity through my Abraham Accords.” He added that a formal signing ceremony would be held soon, describing the expansion of the accords as part of “uniting countries for stability and growth — real progress, real results.”
“Blessed are the peacemakers!” Trump concluded.
The announcement came just ahead of a summit Trump hosted Thursday evening with leaders of five Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan.
U.S. officials noted that while Kazakhstan and Israel have enjoyed decades of cooperation, joining the Abraham Accords would strengthen trade, defence, and technology ties and signal Israel’s growing international acceptance amid widespread criticism over its ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
One official added that Trump’s proposed peace framework for Gaza had “completely changed the paradigm,” encouraging more nations to “move toward the circle of peace.”
Areas of deepened Israeli-Kazakh collaboration are expected to include defence, cybersecurity, energy, and agricultural technology — sectors in which both nations have cooperated since the 1990s.
Ahead of the summit, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Kazakh President Tokayev for a working breakfast. According to the State Department, their discussions focused on expanding trade, energy, and infrastructure cooperation, with no mention of Israel in the official readout.
