Kazakhstan will join Abraham Accords, Trump announces
By Tal Shalev, Jennifer Hansler, Betsy Klein, Alejandra Jaramillo, CNN
(CNN) — Kazakhstan is joining the Abraham Accords, US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday, although the country already has longstanding diplomatic relations with Israel.
“I just held a great call between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of Israel, and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, of Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is the first Country of my Second Term to join the Abraham Accords, the first of many,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
The accords are Trump’s signature foreign policy accomplishment from his first term, and the White House is looking to expand the circle of countries that fall under the agreement.
The administration believes that Kazakhstan’s addition to the Abraham Accords will be “just the tip of the iceberg,” according to a source familiar with the matter.
“This is a major step forward in building bridges across the World,” Trump said as he announced the agreement. “Today, more Nations are lining up to embrace Peace and Prosperity through my Abraham Accords.”
He said a signing ceremony would take place “soon” to formalize the agreement.
The announcement, which came as Trump met with leaders of five Central Asian nations, marks the first country to join the Abraham Accords since 2020. But it’s unclear if there will be any substantive change or upgrade to the diplomatic relations Israel and Kazakhstan have had for decades.
Top Trump administration officials defended the significance of the agreement during the meeting, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio telling reporters that it constitutes an “enhanced relationship beyond just diplomatic relations and having embassies in each other’s capitals.”
“It is not just with Israel — it’s with all the other countries that are part of the accords, you’re now creating a partnership that brings special and unique economic development on all sorts of issues that they can work on together,” he added.
Vice President JD Vance argued that Kazakhstan’s agreement sent a broader message: “What the president has done is actually signaled that the momentum of the Abraham Accords is alive and well in the second administration.”
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff hinted at the announcement Thursday during an appearance at a Miami financial conference.
“Abraham Accords – I’m flying back to Washington tonight, because we’re going to announce tonight another country,” Witkoff said, declining to provide specifics.
On Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also met with Tokayev. The two discussed “expanding opportunities for commercial trade and investment,” according to a readout of the meeting provided by the State Department.
Tokayev’s office said in a statement that Kazakhstan was ready to “engage in constructive dialogue on deepening multifaceted cooperation.”
The Trump administration has made the expansion of the Abraham Accords one of its top foreign policy goals. The accords saw Israel normalize relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and others. The US is now trying to advance normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, but Riyadh has made clear that it would only happen with a viable pathway to Palestinian statehood, something openly dismissed by Israel’s government.
Last month, Trump told Time Magazine that “Saudi Arabia will lead the way toward the Abraham Accords.” When asked whether he thought the country would join the accords by the end of the year, Trump responded, “Yes, I do. I do.”
This story and headline have been updated with the announcement that Kazakhstan will join the Abraham Accords.
The-CNN-Wire
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