Kazakhstan Joins Abraham Accords — Signals U.S. Push to Normalize Ties in Central Asia

Kazakhstan Joins Abraham Accords — Signals U.S. Push to Normalize Ties in Central Asia
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Kazakhstan has officially joined the Abraham Accords, marking a symbolic but strategically significant expansion of this Middle East normalization framework into Central Asia, according to multiple reports.

The decision was announced following a three-way phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Euronews Farsi.

On that occasion, Trump described Kazakhstan’s move as a major step toward regional peace and cooperation.

Analysts argue that the U.S. is expanding the Abrahams’ diplomatic reach beyond the Arab world. According to Rich Outzen, a strategist with the Atlantic Council, extending the pact to Central Asia is part of Washington’s broader plan to reduce these countries’ reliance on Russia and China.

However, not all observers view the move as transformational. Aygerim Turgonbayeva, a researcher at the Turan Center in Bishkek, told Arab Jadid that Kazakhstan’s accession feels more symbolic than strategic. She warned it could stir religious and political sensitivities in the overwhelmingly Muslim population of the region.

According to Euronews Farsi, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are being considered as the next potential signatories to the agreement, although Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are reportedly staying on the sidelines for now — in part due to their close ties with Iran and complex geopolitical dynamics.

This expansion of the Abraham Accords into Central Asia could reshape Eurasian geopolitics, but whether it translates into meaningful cooperation or remains largely symbolic will depend on how other regional players respond.