At a summit in Washington, Donald Trump announces Kazakhstan’s accession to the Abraham Accords – and stumbles over the country’s name. Experts reveal what is behind the diplomatic move.
November 7, 2025, 7:27 p.mNovember 7, 2025, 7:27 p.m
Anna Von Stefenelli / watson.de
It was supposed to be a big diplomatic appearance: At a summit on Thursday in Washington, US President Donald Trump announced that Kazakhstan would join the Abraham Accords. This is the alliance brokered by the USA in 2020 that brings Israel and several Muslim-dominated states together diplomatically.
Experts see this step as primarily symbolic, but Washington sees more in it. One thing is clear: Kazakhstan’s accession shows that the USA once again sees Central Asia as a key geopolitical area, everything between Russian pressure, Chinese influence and Western ambitions.
While Trump staged the moment as his own success, he again attracted attention with a linguistic glitch. Qassym-Jomart Kemeluly Tokayev, the 72-year-old president of the Central Asian country, sat directly opposite. He responded with demonstrative calm.
Trump’s pronunciation breakdown – and Tokayev’s anthemic praise
How “Daily Beast» reports that the slip of the tongue happened during a joint dinner with the heads of state of Central Asia. Trump proudly announced that Kazakhstan had now “officially joined the Abraham Accords.” “Kazakhstan” became “Ka-zack-A-stan”.
Tokayev responded diplomatically.Image: keystone
In addition to the incorrect emphasis, he also inserted an extra syllable into the country’s name. Tokayev remained unimpressed and instead praised Trump in an almost religious tone: “You are the great statesman sent from heaven to bring common sense and common values back to US politics,” he said.
Trump thanked him briefly with the words “Thank you, Mr. President. “Great job, too,” and smiled at the cameras. Meanwhile, memes about “Ka-ZACK-a-stan” were circulating on social media. But behind the amusing appearance there is a complex diplomatic move: With Kazakhstan’s accession, the Abraham Accords are expanding beyond the Middle East into Central Asia for the first time.
Experts on Kazakhstan: more symbolism than revolution
Again Atlantic Council writes, the step is less a diplomatic breakthrough than a targeted signal. “This is not a major breakthrough, but it has symbolic value,” says Daniel B. Shapiro, former US ambassador to Israel.
Kazakhstan and Israel have had diplomatic relations for 33 years. The accession therefore serves primarily to strengthen relations with the USA.
Shapiro recalls that previous initiatives such as the Negev Forum, founded in 2022, also pursued similar goals: practical cooperation in trade, energy, education and technology. The decisive factor will be whether concrete partnerships emerge from the new symbols. “Their success will be measured by the projects that actually benefit people,” says Shapiro.
A new axis beyond the Middle East
For Sarah Zaaimi, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, the move signals a new geopolitical dimension. “Kazakhstan’s accession shows that the future of the agreements transcends the Arab-Israeli level,” she explains. Instead of old enemy images, it is about forming a “pan-Abrahamic bloc”, an alliance of Muslim-dominated states in Africa and Asia.
Zaaimi points to the recent summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, where countries such as Indonesia and Pakistan also discussed stronger regional roles. The fact that Kazakhstan is now joining could be a prelude to other states in the post-Soviet space, such as Azerbaijan or Uzbekistan.
“Kazakhstan is just the beginning,” says Zaaimi. With its gas and uranium deposits and its location on the Caspian Sea, it gives the US and Israel a strategic advantage in a region that Russia and Iran have traditionally considered their zone of influence.
Andrew D’Anieri from the Eurasia Center also sees pragmatism in the decision. “Kazakhstan wants as many partners as possible,” he says, according to the Atlantic Council. Sandwiched between Russia and China, the country wants to expand its foreign policy options, as risk-free as possible. Joining the Abraham Accords is a “smart but cost-effective step” to get Washington’s attention.
This is exactly what Danny Citrinowicz, a former Israeli military intelligence analyst, is critical of, according to the Atlantic Council. “The Trump administration is trying to kill two birds with one stone: show that the Abraham Accords brand is still alive while challenging China in Eurasia.”says Citrinowicz.
But without progress in the Israeli-Palestinian dialogue, the effect will remain limited. “Without Saudi Arabia, hardly any other Muslim states will join,” he warns.