On Tuesday 25 June in Brussels, the European Union and the Kyrgyz Republic signed an Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA), providing a new legal basis for strengthening political dialogue and cooperation in a range of areas, including trade, connectivity, research and the environment.
It will also strengthen cooperation in the fields of foreign and security policy, as well as critical raw materials.
The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, underlined the EU’s commitment to deepening ties with Kyrgyzstan “on the basis of shared values and common interests”.
The Commission Executive Vice-President for trade, Valdis Dombrovskis, welcomed the opening of a “new chapter” in the EU’s economic and trade relations with Kyrgyzstan, and emphasised the agreement’s potential to stimulate economic development and create job opportunities.
This agreement will replace the 1999 Partnership and Cooperation Agreement and will complement the commitments of the special incentive arrangement for sustainable development (GSP+) from which Kyrgyzstan has benefited since 2016. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)