Five informed sources told Reuters that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is actively discussing with Azerbaijan the possibility of including it and some Central Asian countries in the Abraham Accords, aiming to enhance its relations with Israel. This move comes as part of efforts to expand the Abraham Accords established in 2020 and 2021, which saw four Muslim-majority countries normalize their relations with Israel following U.S. mediation.

The sources clarified that Azerbaijan and Central Asian countries, which have long-standing relations with Israel, would benefit from the expansion of the accords in areas of trade and military cooperation, although the expansion would be largely symbolic. However, the rising death toll in Gaza and the famine in the sector, resulting from the obstruction of aid and Israeli military operations, has led to increased Arab anger, hindering efforts to add other Muslim-majority countries to the accords.

Health authorities in Gaza indicated that the war has claimed the lives of more than 60,000 people, including women and children, which has sparked global outrage, and Canada, France, and Britain announced their intention to recognize an independent Palestinian state. Additionally, the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which is a prerequisite for Azerbaijan's inclusion in the Abraham Accords, represents a major point of contention, as discussions have focused on the necessity of achieving peace between the two countries in the Caucasus region.

In this context, Trump's special envoy for peace, Steve Whitehouse, visited Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, in March to discuss the possibility of reaching an agreement, and met with President Ilham Aliyev. His assistant, Aryeh Lightstone, also met with Aliyev to discuss the details of expanding the accords. Officials from Azerbaijan have also reached out to their counterparts in Central Asian countries, such as Kazakhstan, to gauge their interest in the initiative, although the positions of other countries remain unclear.

The U.S. State Department stated that expanding the accords is one of the main objectives of the Trump administration, while the Azerbaijani government declined to comment, and the White House, Israeli Foreign Ministry, and Kazakhstan Embassy did not respond to requests for comment.