Kazakhstan joins first Abraham Accords meeting since 2023 in New York

September 28, 2026 at 06:49 AM2 min

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Kazakhstan participated for the first time in an official Abraham Accords meeting on September 24 in New York. The gathering, hosted by the N7 Foundation during the UN General Assembly, brought together officials from the United States, Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco. Kazakhstan is the first Central Asian and first non-Arab Muslim-majority country to join the framework.

Key Facts

The September 24 meeting was the first official gathering of Abraham Accords countries since October 2023.
U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker led the American delegation.
Kazakhstan accounts for 56.4% of Central Asia's combined GDP and 66.4% of its inward foreign direct investment stock.
Kazakhstan announced its accession after President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in November 2025.

First Central Asian Participant

Kazakhstan is the first Central Asian and first non-Arab Muslim-majority country to join the Abraham Accords, extending a framework originally built around normalization between Israel and Arab states into Central Asia. Erzhan Kazykhan, Special Representative of the President of Kazakhstan for Negotiations with the United States, told CBS News that Kazakhstan sees the Accords as a platform to reinforce political dialogue across the Middle East and neighboring regions. Kazakhstan and Israel established diplomatic relations on April 10, 1992, and have maintained embassies and bilateral cooperation for more than three decades. During bilateral talks with Israel earlier this year, Kazakhstan and Israel discussed possible joint projects in high-tech agriculture, water resource management, and digital technologies.

Economic and Strategic Role

Kazakhstan is the world's largest uranium producer and an increasingly important U.S. partner on critical minerals and secure supply chains. Within Central Asia, Kazakhstan accounts for 56.4% of the region's combined GDP and 66.4% of its inward foreign direct investment stock. Kazakhstan is also a transport and logistics link between Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and Europe, giving connectivity another practical role in its participation in the Accords. The original Israel-UAE Abraham Accords agreement identified energy, agriculture and food security, water, technology, and investment among the areas for cooperation.

Signing Ceremony Pending

Kazakhstan announced its accession after President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in November 2025. N7 founder Jeffrey Talpins said the next stage should focus on strengthening existing relationships and finding practical areas where participating countries can work together.