Experts React: Kazakhstan to Join the Abraham Accords
President Donald Trump announced during a White House meeting with Kazakh President Kassym Jomart-Tokayev and other Central Asian leaders that Kazakhstan will join the Abraham Accords. This diplomatic pact, brokered by the United States in 2020, aims to normalize relations between Israel and several Muslim-majority countries.
The announcement was made in Washington, DC, on Thursday at the C5+1 summit, attended by Kassym Jomart-Tokayev and leaders from four other Central Asian states. This development highlights Central Asia's growing importance in U.S. diplomacy.
Impact on Kazakhstan, Israel, and US Diplomacy
Experts shared their perspectives regarding the implications of Kazakhstan joining the Abraham Accords:
- Daniel B. Shapiro: "This is no great breakthrough, but it holds some symbolic value."
- Sarah Zaaimi: A broader pan-Abrahamic bloc is forming.
- Andrew D’Anieri: Kazakhstan wants as many partners as it can get.
- Danny Citrinowicz: A failed attempt to revive the Abraham Accords “brand.”
- Nic Adams: Kazakhstan seizes an opportunity to partner with the US.
Kazakhstan's Existing Relations with Israel
Kazakhstan has maintained diplomatic relations with Israel for thirty-three years. Thus, its decision to join the Abraham Accords feels more like a formal recognition within a broader framework rather than establishing new ties. This is somewhat similar to Morocco's approach, which viewed its own agreement with Israel as a reopening of existing ties from the 1990s, distinct from the Abraham Accords.
"Kazakhstan has had diplomatic relations with Israel for thirty-three years, so the announcement that it is joining the Abraham Accords has a strange ring to it."
Summary
Kazakhstan's entry into the Abraham Accords marks a strategic diplomatic step that reinforces its international partnerships and underscores the growing significance of Central Asia in global Middle East diplomacy.