Charles Michel says peace progress in Caucasus ‘encouraging’
President Emeritus of the European Council Charles Michel has said he is “confident” in the progress of peace efforts between Azerbaijan and Armen...
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is engaged in talks with Azerbaijan and exploring outreach to Central Asian nations regarding a potential expansion of the Abraham Accords, five sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Originally signed in 2020 and 2021, the Abraham Accords established formal diplomatic ties between Israel and several Muslim-majority states. While Azerbaijan and countries across Central Asia already maintain diplomatic relations with Israel, sources said the inclusion would be largely symbolic—aimed at broadening cooperation in trade, defence and political engagement.
“This is about deepening relations under a formal framework, not starting from scratch,” one of the sources noted.
The discussions with Azerbaijan are described as particularly structured. Trump’s special envoy for peace missions, Steve Witkoff, travelled to Baku in March and met with President Ilham Aliyev, Reuters reported. Later in the spring, Aryeh Lightstone, a senior aide to Witkoff, also visited Baku and held follow-up meetings that included talks on the Abraham Accords.
As part of the engagement, Azerbaijani officials have contacted some Central Asian governments, including Kazakhstan, to assess their interest in joining the initiative. It is unclear which other countries—such as Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan—have been approached.
The U.S. State Department, while declining to name specific countries, said the expansion of the accords is a continuing priority. “We are working to get more countries to join,” a U.S. official told Reuters.
The Azerbaijani government declined to comment. The White House, Israeli foreign ministry and Kazakhstan’s embassy in Washington did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
Sources added that any new agreement would not alter the terms of the original Abraham Accords but would serve as a platform to reinforce U.S. and Israeli engagement in the region through existing diplomatic channels.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
A shooting in Nice, southeastern France, left two people dead and five injured on Friday, authorities said.
Snapchat will start charging users who store more than 5GB of photos and videos in its Memories feature, prompting backlash from long-time users.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met King Charles III at Windsor Castle on 24 October, ahead of a series of talks in London with European leaders about continued military support and Ukraine’s peace efforts amid the ongoing war with Russia.
Uzbekistan and the European Union (EU) are set to sign a new Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA), marking a major step in bilateral relations and placing Uzbekistan among the EU’s closest partners in Central Asia.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan said the United States and others must do more to push Israel to stop violating the Gaza ceasefire agreement, including the possible use of sanctions or halting arms sales.
Southeast Asian leaders and global partners, including U.S. President Donald Trump, will gather in Kuala Lumpur from 26 to 28 October to discuss trade, regional conflicts and global security, with East Timor set to join ASEAN as its 11th member.
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