In Astana, Herzog and Kazakh counterpart discuss ‘tripling’ trade while touting Abraham Accords

President Isaac Herzog tells Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev that he hopes to “triple” trade between Israel and Kazakhstan and that direct flights will soon be approved between the countries, during a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Astana.

The two presidents met privately after Herzog arrived for an official visit this morning, then held an expanded meeting with senior Kazakh government officials, during which they discussed “deepening relations and advancing strategic cooperation,” according to a readout from Herzog’s office.

“I would like to focus on how we can double, triple, and more the volume of business and trade between our nations. We are close to approving direct flights, and I think that this can have a huge impact on business and trade, especially as part of the Abraham Accords family,” Herzog says in the readout.

In November, Kazakhstan joined the Abraham Accords normalization agreements brokered by the US Trump administration, though Astana has had diplomatic relations with Israel since 1992, making the move largely symbolic.

Tokayev tells Herzog that “the Abraham Accords have fundamentally reconfigured the Middle East’s geopolitical architecture, creating a strategic framework for regional stability, shared prosperity and collaborative efforts to address common challenges.”

“With pride, we emphasize that there is no antisemitism in Kazakhstan,” Tokayev adds, noting that “Judaism is one of four official major religions in Kazakhstan,” alongside Sunni Islam, Orthodox Christianity and Catholicism.