C5+1 Summit - The Times Of Central Asia

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Abraham Accords

Abraham Accords Frame Kazakhstan–Israel Cooperation to Deliver Tokayev’s Reforms

Kazakhstan’s decision to enter the Abraham Accords is a diplomacy-first move by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Its aims include: 1) converting symbolic capital into policy traction in Washington, 2) arriving at workable co-financing with Gulf partners, and 3) preserving equilibrium with Moscow and Beijing. The step does not alter recognition; the two countries have had diplomatic relations for a third of a century, institutionalized through embassies. Cooperation has been steady, if modest. Entering the Abraham Accords now gives these relations a framework that U.S. agencies, funds, and implementers already use. The timing intersects the C5+1 turn from set-piece dialogues to transactions, with new deals announced alongside the Accords move. What the framework unlocks is execution. It compresses attention cycles inside U.S. bureaucracies, normalizes trilateral packaging with Gulf financiers, and clears diligence pathways for banks and development finance institutions. Those effects matter where Israeli capabilities dovetail with Tokayev’s priorities. The premise of Tokayev’s move is straightforward: diplomacy should shorten the distance between declared policy and the implementation of projects that work. Tokayev’s Diplomatic Architecture and the Bilateral Relationship Kazakhstan recognized Israel in 1992 and opened embassies soon after, setting a cautious but uninterrupted channel for official contact. The institutional scaffolding is visible in public sources. Trade volumes have been modest but steady, with 2024 bilateral turnover reported by Kazakhstan’s statistics at roughly $236 million, a figure that is broadly consistent with third-party trackers such as Trading Economics and OEC profiles. Practical frictions have eased as Air Astana initiated direct air links between Almaty and Tel Aviv in 2023. The Accords move aligns that long, incremental relationship with a framework that is transparent to Washington and to Gulf financiers. Reporting on the Washington week underscores the shift from set-piece dialogues to transactions, as the Accords announcement was paired with commerce headlines. Joining the Abraham Accords reorganizes and reframes practical bilateral activities. By placing existing ties under a known diplomatic wrapper, Astana becomes easier to route inside U.S. agencies and funds, and easier to match with Gulf co-financing for projects that fall in line with Tokayev’s domestic reforms and economic development program. The practical test becomes whether the new wrapper accelerates cooperation, where Israel’s comparative advantages can help Kazakhstan meet the goals of that program. Examples of this are precision irrigation and basin telemetry to optimize steppe agriculture, audit-plus-retrofit toolkits that cut grid and industrial losses without new generation, reinforcing the 2060 neutrality track, and civil-service-embedded cyber training with secure data exchange that lifts administrative credibility. The Accords thus function as additive diplomacy, widening Kazakhstan’s access to recognizable cooperation pathways without demanding a shift in alignments. In Washington, the move plugs into an existing rubric that officials already use for interagency routing and external partnerships. Regionally, it complements the C5+1’s turn toward transaction-focused engagement. Domestically, it moves Tokayev’s reform agenda forward. Internationally, it demonstrates continued leadership. The diplomatic wrapper works because Kazakhstan can route cooperation through recognized counterparties and rules. Samruk-Kazyna and core state-owned enterprises (SOEs) represent accountable anchors consistent with OECD-provided guidance on...

Uzbekistan-U.S. Relations

Uzbekistan and U.S. to Create Joint Business and Investment Council

Uzbekistan has announced the establishment of the Uzbekistan-U.S. Business and Investment Council, a new institutional platform aimed at deepening trade, investment, and commercial cooperation between the two countries. The initiative was formalized by a presidential decree signed by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on November 12. The council will be jointly chaired by the Head of the Presidential Administration of Uzbekistan and a representative appointed by the President of the United States. It follows agreements reached during President Mirziyoyev’s official visit to Washington from November 4–6, held within the framework of the “C5+1” summit. The council’s primary objective is to coordinate the development and implementation of strategic business initiatives and major investment and trade projects, while ensuring continuous monitoring of their progress. It will also work to attract new foreign investment through the creation of a dedicated investment fund, with participation expected from institutions including the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Uzbekistan will also expand cooperation in the IT sector by promoting the products and services of companies based in its national IT Park. Broader plans include diversifying the country’s investment portfolio and foreign currency reserves. To further strengthen diplomatic and economic engagement, a new position titled Adviser-Envoy of the Presidential Administration in the United States will be established at Uzbekistan’s Embassy in Washington beginning January 1, 2026. The envoy will oversee strategic investment initiatives and coordinate the work of the Business and Investment Council. The Foreign Ministry has also been instructed to expand Uzbekistan’s diplomatic presence across the United States, with preparations underway to open new consulates in Philadelphia, Chicago, Orlando, and Seattle, cities with significant Uzbek diaspora communities. Oversight of the council’s operations and implementation of the decree will be led by Saida Mirziyoyeva, Head of the Presidential Administration, who will serve as the Uzbek co-chair of the new council. The initiative forms part of Uzbekistan’s broader strategy to deepen cooperation with the United States, expand economic engagement, and build stronger institutional ties ahead of the planned visa-free regime for U.S. citizens in 2026. Uzbekistan currently maintains an embassy in Washington and a Consulate General in New York. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Uzbekistan will introduce a visa-free regime for U.S. citizens starting January 1, 2026, allowing stays of up to 30 days. The change is intended to broaden engagement between the two countries.

TCA Interviews

Universities Join Kazakhstan’s Global Education Vision: An Interview with Minister of Education Sayasat Nurbek

At the invitation of President Trump, on November 5-6, the Presidents of the five Central Asia Republics arrived in Washington, D.C. to celebrate and sign deals on the 10th anniversary of C5+1. They were accompanied by cabinet ministers and business leaders. The Times of Central Asia presents a wide-ranging interview with Kazakhstan's Minister of Education, Sayasat Nurbek. Minister Nurbek sat down with our Washington Correspondent, Javier M. Piedra, to discuss Kazakhstan’s education strategy. The interview offers U.S. academic and technical institutions a glimpse into Minister Nurbek’s educational philosophy and his plans to advance Kazakhstan’s higher education through new partnerships with U.S. universities, AI platforms, and private sector innovators—positioning Kazakhstan as a regional educational hub. Nurbek shared his insights on his understanding of traditional values, the human person, AI’s potential and risks, critical thinking, and building mutually beneficial partnerships in the context of education. (His responses have been edited for length and flow.) TCA: The tenth anniversary of C5+1 was a landmark event, bringing together the Presidents of all five Central Asian nations at the White House. Kazakhstan President Tokayev has tasked you with transforming Kazakhstan into a fully digital nation within three years. In the last two days, you secured six key partnerships with U.S. universities and tech firms across education, testing, mining, and engineering. Minister, with that in mind, how is Central Asia important to the United States? Nurbek: My message to American academic institutions is straightforward. Kazakhstan has a lot to offer, and we are keen on deeper engagement with the outside world. Also, the timing to deepen U.S.-Kazakhstan relations is perfect given that the world is changing. Avenues are open for new relationships and business opportunities. America and Kazakhstan can have a great future as long as we work together to achieve that future. America should not miss this moment in history; the importance of Eurasia and of Central Asia in particular. Besides the education aspects – most important to me – academic and technical partnerships can serve as platforms to maintain U.S. influence, share values, and promote ideas, benefiting both the United States and Kazakhstan as friends in a non-geopolitical sense. TCA: In our earlier conversation, you referenced Sir Halford Mackinder, the early 20th-century British academic who emphasized geography’s role in geopolitics. Can you comment on the sensitivity of mixing education and geopolitics? Nurbek: In The Geographical Pivot of History in 1904, Halford Mackinder argued that control of Eurasia’s central “Heartland,” particularly Eastern Europe and Central Asia, could secure global influence. Mackinder’s theory stressed land power’s dominance over naval power in an increasingly rail-connected world in the early 20th century. Central Asia mattered then and still does today—but why do I mention Mackinder in the context of education? President Tokayev has been clear, especially in the sphere of education, that Kazakhstan seeks great gain, not a “Great Game” – the rivalry between Great Powers for influence and control in Central Asia. In other words, the main way to produce great gains in Kazakhstan and across the...

Abraham Accords

Opinion: Kazakhstan Joins Abraham Accords – More Than a Symbolic Gesture

Kazakhstan has officially agreed to join the Abraham Accords during a C5+1 summit, giving another green flag of legitimacy to Israel for its policies and actions in West Asia, especially in Palestine. Reportedly, not only Kazakhstan but also Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are set to follow this step. The Normalization process, brokered by the United States to advance the culture of peace among the three Abrahamic religions, was initiated by President Donald Trump during his first term. Since then, four Muslim-majority countries - the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan - have joined the Abraham Accords. However, other Muslim-majority countries have previously followed the stand taken under the Arab Peace Process of 2002, which emphasizes the resolution of the Palestine issue before starting the normalization of ties with Israel. The joining of the Abraham Accords by Kazakhstan and the quest by other Caucasus and Central Asian Muslim-majority countries are distinctive in multiple aspects. As per the official definition, the Abraham Accords encourage the establishment of relations between Israel and its neighbors in the region. In this context, the extension of the Abraham Accords, originally designed to broker regional peace and stability in West Asia, to other regions and securing legitimacy by Muslim-majority countries outside West Asia reflects the pan-Abrahamic outlook of the U.S.-brokered deal. Moreover, Kazakhstan is a country that has established diplomatic ties with Israel since 1992, after the disintegration of the Soviet Union. So, the question is, what does the joining of the Abraham Accords by Kazakhstan signify for the Central Asian country, which shares a long border with Russia and already has substantial military and economic ties with it? The significance of the Abraham Accords for Kazakhstan can be comprehensively understood from the point of view of Kazakhstan, the United States, and Israel, the major participants of the agreement. Kazakhstan’s attempt to balance regional and global pressure Firstly, for Kazakhstan, the joining of the Accords with the perspective of enhancing ties with Israel can be taken more as a symbolic move, as Kazakhstan already fulfils 25% of Israel’s energy needs. The countries share a strong diplomatic relationship, with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu visiting Kazakhstan in 2016; the two countries have signed several bilateral agreements. Kazakhstan has significant relations with Israel in the fields of irrigation and healthcare, and has also pursued discussions on visa-free travel, tourism, and technology. Kazakhstan and Israel have launched the Israel-Kazakhstan Irrigation Demonstration Centre in the Almaty region. Kazakhstan also hosts the largest Jewish population in Central Asia, which lives in peace and harmony with other ethnic groups. Considering the strong ties already in place, the lingering question is why Kazakhstan had to formally sign an agreement that appears to be a symbolic gesture from the outside. To this question, Adil Husain, PhD scholar of Central Asian Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), New Delhi, says that “though the decision to formalize the normalization ties with Israel may appear as a formality, the move carries a strategic significance for the Central Asian country...

Strategic Partnership Trade agreements Methanol Island visa-free U.S.-Uzbekistan Relations C5+1 Summit Energy Sector Energy cooperation critical raw materials Economic Cooperation Critical Minerals Foreign Investment Bilateral Relations

U.S. and Uzbekistan Sign Landmark Economic and Strategic Agreements

The United States and Uzbekistan are deepening their economic and technological partnership. Following President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, the U.S. State Department announced a sweeping package of agreements, described as among the most significant in the history of bilateral relations in both investment and strategic scope. High-Level Business Engagements During his Washington visit, President Mirziyoyev held talks with representatives from major American corporations, investment funds, and financial institutions. The meeting was attended by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Special Assistant to the President Ricky Gill, Special Assistant to the President Ricky Gill, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Vaden, and executives from companies such as Traxys, FLSmidth, McKinsey, Meta, Google, Amazon, Boeing, Air Products, Axiom Space, Cove Capital, Freeport-McMoRan, Orion CMC, Cargill Cotton, John Deere, Honeywell, Valmont Industries, and Flowserve Corporation. Opening the event, Mirziyoyev highlighted that trade between Uzbekistan and the U.S. has quadrupled over the past eight years, and more than 300 American companies are now operating in the country. He added that this is just the beginning of a new era in economic cooperation. Key strategic goals were outlined: by 2030, Uzbekistan aims to develop a new-generation energy system with 18-20 GW of renewable capacity, more than half of it sourced from solar and wind. In this context, the two countries plan to jointly develop and process critical minerals such as uranium, copper, tungsten, molybdenum, and graphite, establishing resilient supply chains and leveraging U.S. processing technologies. Infrastructure is another major focus. Uzbekistan intends to invest over $12 billion by 2030 to modernize roads, railways, terminals, and airports. Digital cooperation is also expanding. Projects with Google, Meta, and NVIDIA include the launch of Apple Pay and Google Pay, the creation of a Digital Academy, and the development of startup hubs. These initiatives are expected to be supported by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the U.S. Exim Bank. Mirziyoyev reaffirmed his personal commitment to supporting American investment, stressing that Uzbekistan remains a stable and favorable destination for foreign businesses. Securing Access to Strategic Raw Materials Washington’s primary interest lies in critical minerals. The U.S. will gain priority access to joint mining projects and exclusive access to geological data on rare earth and other strategically significant elements. This move is part of a broader U.S. effort to diversify global sources of inputs vital to defense, green energy, and other high-tech sectors. The two countries are also preparing a $400 million investment package to develop sustainable supply chains for critical and rare earth minerals. For Uzbekistan, this represents a key step toward integration into global value chains and reduced reliance on limited partners. Energy Cooperation: A Role for Small Modular Reactors Uzbekistan plans to acquire American small modular reactors (SMRs), a technology increasingly favored by emerging economies for its scalability and relatively low upfront costs. Interest in SMRs has grown following the 2025 approval of the upgraded NuScale Power Module (77 MW), and Uzbekistan may become one of the first countries in...

C5+1 Summit

Paul Kapur: “The United States’ Commitment to Central Asia Is Strong and Enduring”

WASHINGTON (TCA) — Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Paul Kapur reaffirmed Washington’s long-term commitment to Central Asia during remarks marking the 10th anniversary of the C5+1 partnership at the Kennedy Center hosted by the United States Department of State on November 6. Addressing an audience of officials, diplomats, and business leaders, Kapur said he was “honored to join an esteemed group” for the occasion. “I recently started my tenure as Assistant Secretary, and I’m particularly glad that I started as we celebrate the decade of C5+1 partnership,” he noted. Kapur, who oversees U.S. policy toward the region and serves as Secretary Marco Rubio’s chief advisor on Central Asia, is a veteran academic who has taught at the Naval Postgraduate School and Claremont McKenna College, and previously served on the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff during the first Trump administration. He opened his remarks by thanking the Kennedy Center and Ambassador Rick Vernell for hosting the event, as well as Special Envoy and Ambassador Sir Jim Gore and Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau “for everything that they did, which included lots of diplomacy, many days and hours on the road.” He also recognized Senator Steve Daines “who’s done so much to support and promote ties” between Central Asia and the United States, and expressed appreciation to Central Asian delegations who “traveled a long way to be here.” “As we mark this anniversary, I want to reiterate that the United States is committed to this region, and that commitment is strong and enduring,” Kapur said. “Under President Trump’s and Secretary Rubio’s leadership, we’re elevating the C5+1 partnership as a priority — a strategic priority and an economic priority.” He said the partnership is already producing results in trade, investment, and innovation. “We’re making tangible progress toward increased trade and investment in areas ranging from aviation to cybersecurity to agriculture, and we’re ensuring a secure energy future for each of our countries,” he said. Kapur emphasized that economic ties are only part of the picture. “As we advance prosperity, we also promote peace,” he stated. “The United States remains committed to supporting each C5 country’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, protecting borders and strengthening security cooperation, both bilaterally and through the C5+1.” Reflecting on the partnership’s first decade, Kapur cited initiatives such as the C5+1 Critical Minerals Dialogue, the B5+1 Business Dialogue, training networks for regional law enforcement and border security, and English-language programs for young professionals. He also highlighted efforts to protect the region’s cultural heritage through historical preservation and law enforcement cooperation to combat antiquities trafficking. “Although we’re celebrating the future today, it’s important to remember that our new initiatives are built on a deep foundation of cooperation over the past decade,” he said. “As we elevate and modernize our collective efforts, C5+1 countries and the United States are increasingly prepared to deliver innovative regional solutions to our most pressing global problems.” He concluded with a personal message to Central Asian partners. “To my Central...