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President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that Kazakhstan will join the Abraham Accords, marking the first country of his second term to sign onto the foreign policy agreement. He said a formal signing ceremony will take place soon.
The Abraham Accords are bilateral agreements that normalized relations between Israel and several Arab nations. The first accords, signed in 2020 between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and between Israel and Bahrain, included diplomatic and economic commitments and were brokered by the United States.
Trump said he has spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Kazakhstan joining the accords and suggested additional nations are preparing to do the same.
“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. This is a major step forward in building bridges across the World. Today, more Nations are lining up to embrace Peace and Prosperity through my Abraham Accords,” the president wrote on Truth Social.
“We will soon announce a Signing Ceremony to make it official, and there are many more Countries trying to join this club of STRENGTH. So much more to come in uniting Countries for Stability and Growth — Real progress, real results. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!” he added.
A U.S. official, who was not named, signaled the agreement earlier in the day and told Axios that the move is intended to help improve Israel’s standing in the Arab and Muslim world.
The development came as President Trump met with leaders of five Central Asian countries. The meeting included the presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The president also announced a new economic deal with Uzbekistan worth over $100 billion over the next decade.
“I am thrilled to announce an incredible Trade and Economic Deal between the United States and Uzbekistan. Over the next three years, Uzbekistan will be purchasing and investing almost $35 Billion Dollars and, in the next 10 years, over $100 Billion Dollars, in key American Sectors, including Critical Minerals, Aviation, Automotive Parts, Infrastructure, Agriculture, Energy & Chemicals, Information Technology, and others. I want to thank Uzbekistan’s Highly Respected President, Shavkat Mirziyoyev. We look forward to a long and productive relationship between our Countries!” President Trump wrote in a separate Truth Social post.