Kazakhstan joins Abraham Accords to upgrade arms deals | Kazakhstan has had full diplomatic relations with Israel since 1992 but through the Abraham Accords, Israel will be able to increase defense sales to the former Soviet republic.

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1. An interesting article highlighting the different interests of the parties involved, and showing the reasons of Israel and Kazakhstan wanting to improve relations even more.

   Kazakhstan has had full diplomatic ties with Israel since 1992, but joining the Abraham Accords now allows Israel to expand its defense sales there. The move mainly serves US interests by upgrading Kazakhstan’s regional status, while Israel’s benefit is secondary.

   Israel and Kazakhstan began defense cooperation in 2001, buying drones and rocket systems from Israeli companies like Elbit, IAI, and Rafael. **Yet Israeli sales were limited because of Kazakhstan’s security classification, which it now wants to upgrade.**

   Kazakhstan is rich in oil, gas, uranium, and rare elements, making it important to global powers. President Tokayev, in power since 2019, uses these resources and the country’s large territory to build ties with the US, China, and Turkey. The US seeks to keep Kazakhstan from getting too close to China, while Turkey uses ethnic and cultural links to expand its influence.

   China values Kazakhstan mainly for trade routes to Europe, not for oil. Turkey sees Kazakhstan as part of the wider Turkic world, which fits President Erdogan’s ambitions. Still, stronger Israeli-Kazakh security ties may hurt Turkish defense sales.

   Azerbaijan was surprised by the move, as it hoped to be the first Eurasian country to join the Abraham Accords. It buys weapons from both Israel and Turkey and wants better access to US defense markets.

   For Israel, Kazakhstan offers a promising new market, especially as some countries have canceled Israeli arms deals during the war. Kazakhstan’s proximity to Afghanistan and Tajikistan also increases its security needs due to jihadist threats.

   Another area of cooperation is space: Israel once launched satellites from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome, which is cheaper than launching from the US.

   And I will add, despite it not being talked about in the article, just the fact that more nations join the accords, is already a win for Israel. As it encourages others to justify doing so as well.

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