The general purpose of this guide is to provide a popular interpretation of the principal provisions of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement signed between the EU and the Kyrgyz Republic on February 9 1995 in Brussels by the President of Kyrgyzstan Askar Akaev and the President of the European Commission Jacques Santer (further referred to as the PCA or the Agreement). This publication is an attempt to describe the implications for cooperation under the PCA and familiarize the reader with the political, legal and economic context of the agreement. The layout of the guide is organised around the main clauses of the PCA to ensure thorough coverage of all titles of the Agreement. All references made to specific “Titles” or “Articles” in this guide correspond to the titles and articles in the PCA, unless otherwise indicated.