 "Steve Witkoff. File image/ Reuters")
Kazakhstan is expected to be announced on as the newest member of the Abraham Accords, the US-brokered initiative that normalised relations between Israel and several Muslim-majority nations, according to a senior American official.
Although Kazakhstan already maintains full diplomatic and economic relations with Israel, its inclusion in the accords would carry symbolic weight, highlighting US efforts to revitalise the framework amid the ongoing Gaza crisis.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, alongside four other Central Asian leaders. The gathering forms part of Washington’s bid to bolster its influence in a region historically shaped by Russian power and increasingly drawn into China’s orbit.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff said earlier at a business forum in Florida that he would be returning to Washington for the announcement, without naming the country.
Axios first reported that the country would be Kazakhstan. A second source familiar with the matter told Reuters the US’ hope is that Kazakhstan’s entry will help reinvigorate the Abraham Accords, the expansion of which has been on hold during the Gaza war.
Trump has repeatedly said he wants to expand the accords that he brokered during his first term in the White House.
The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain established ties with Israel in 2020 under the Trump-brokered Abraham Accords. Morocco established ties with Israel later the same year.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsTrump has been upbeat about the prospects that regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia will finally join the accords since a ceasefire went into effect in Gaza last month, but Riyadh has shown no willingness to move ahead without at least a pathway to Palestinian statehood.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is expected to visit the White House on November 18.
Other Central Asian countries such as Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, both of which have close ties with Israel, have also been seen as potentially joining the Abraham Accords, which is considered a signature foreign policy achievement of Trump’s first term.
With inputs from agencies