President Trump said Thursday that Kazakhstan is joining the Abraham Accords, marking the first country during his second term to join his first-term prized foreign policy achievement.
He had hope that more countries would join the Abraham Accords, an agreement that normalized relations between Israel and other countries in the Gulf region, in 2020.
Mr. Trump said in a Truth Social post that he had a great call between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
“Kazakhstan is the first Country of my Second Term to join the Abraham Accords, the first of many,” he wrote. “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,” she said. “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!”
The move by Kazakhstan is mostly symbolic because, although the country is about two-thirds Muslim, the former Soviet republic has had normal diplomatic relations with Israel since 1992, almost immediately upon the Soviet Union’s breakup and its independence.
The other countries in the Accords are the Arab states of Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates.
The announcement came as he was hosting a summit at the White House with the leaders of five Central Asian nations, including Kazakhstan.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a working breakfast with Mr. Tokayev on Thursday.
The department said in a statement that the two “discussed expanding opportunities for commercial trade and investment as well as increased cooperation with Kazakhstan in energy, technology, and infrastructure.”
• This article was based in part on wire service reports.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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