US President Donald Trump’s administration is actively discussing with Azerbaijan the possibility of bringing that nation and some Central Asian allies into the Abraham Accords, hoping to deepen their existing ties with Israel, according to five sources with knowledge of the matter.
As part of the Abraham Accords, inked in 2020 and 2021 during Trump’s first term in office, four Muslim-majority countries agreed to normalize diplomatic relations with Israel after US mediation.
Azerbaijan and every country in Central Asia, by contrast, already have longstanding relations with Israel, meaning that an expansion of the accords to include them would largely be symbolic, focusing on strengthening ties in areas like trade and military cooperation, say the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss private conversations.
Donald Trump’s administration is actively discussing with Azerbaijan the possibility of bringing that nation and some Central Asian allies into the Abraham Accords, hoping to deepen their existing ties with Israel, according to five sources with knowledge of the matter.
Azerbaijan and every country in Central Asia, by contrast, already have longstanding relations with Israel.
The original Abraham Accords, inked between Israel and the four Muslim majority countries in the Middle East and Africa in 2020 and 2021 during Trump’s first term in office, centred on normalising diplomatic relations with Israel after US mediation.
A soaring death toll in Gaza and starvation in the enclave due to blockade of aid and military operations by Israel have buoyed Arab fury, complicating Trump’s efforts to add more Muslim-majority countries to the Abraham Accords.
The war in Gaza, where over 60,000 people including tens of thousands of women and children have died, has provoked global anger.
Canada, France and the United Kingdom have announced plans in recent days to recognise an independent Palestine.
