WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that Kazakhstan will join the Abraham Accords, a framework that normalises relations between Israel and Muslim-majority nations, marking the first such expansion of the pact in several years.
The announcement followed a trilateral call between 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 more countries trying to join this club of STRENGTH,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, touting the move as another milestone for the accords he brokered during his first term.
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In a statement, the Kazakh government said the agreement was in its final stage of negotiations, calling it a “natural and logical continuation” of Kazakhstan’s longstanding foreign policy based on “dialogue, mutual respect, and regional stability.”
While Kazakhstan already maintains full diplomatic relations and economic cooperation with Israel, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Abraham Accords go beyond formal ties. “It’s an enhanced relationship … a partnership that brings special and unique economic development opportunities on all sorts of issues,” Rubio said.
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Trump announced the move after hosting five Central Asian leaders — from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan — at the White House, part of Washington’s effort to expand influence in a region long dominated by Russia and increasingly courted by China.
“Some of the countries represented here are going to be joining the Abraham Accords … and those announcements will be made over the next little while,” Trump said.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff earlier hinted at the development during a business forum in Florida, saying he would be returning to Washington for the “announcement.” Axios later confirmed Kazakhstan as the country in question.
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Officials said the US hopes Kazakhstan’s participation will reinvigorate the Abraham Accords, the expansion of which had stalled amid the Gaza conflict.
The Abraham Accords, first signed in 2020, saw the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain establish relations with Israel, followed later by Morocco. Trump has repeatedly said he hopes to persuade Saudi Arabia to join, but Riyadh has maintained that normalization depends on a credible path toward Palestinian statehood. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is expected to visit the White House on November 18, where the issue is likely to feature prominently.