Kazakhstan Set To Recognise Israel Under Trump's Abraham Accords: Report

Kazakhstan is reportedly set to join the Abraham Accords, marking a new expansion of the US-brokered normalisation deal with Israel, according to Axios. The report, citing US government official, said the move is aimed at reinvigorating the accords as a framework for cooperation between Israel and Arab and Muslim-majority countries.

While Kazakhstan and Israel have maintained full diplomatic relations for more than 30 years, the decision comes ahead of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s visit to Washington on Thursday for a summit with US President Donald Trump and the leaders of five Central Asian nations.

A US official told Axios that Tokayev reached out to the White House expressing his wish to bring Kazakhstan into the accords, seeking stronger

regional cooperation and signalling religious tolerance.

During the summit, Trump and Tokayev are expected to hold a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to formally announce Kazakhstan’s accession.

The US official further added that the administration hopes to host an official signing ceremony at the White House, potentially including other countries that wish to join the accords.

Meanwhile, Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, confirmed to the press that the US would announce a new country joining the Abraham Accords on Thursday, though he did not name Kazakhstan.

“I’m flying back to Washington tonight because we’re going to announce, tonight, another country coming into the Abraham Accords,” Witkoff said at the America Business Forum in Miami. When asked which country it was, he replied: “I don’t know if it’s out yet.”

The Abraham Accords were first established during Trump’s first term, with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco normalising ties with Israel in 2020.

Trump has suggested that more countries, including Saudi Arabia, may follow in the future, though progress has stalled due to ongoing tensions in the region.

(With inputs from AFP)