A/51/536 English Page 19 nationality, the right to enjoy or be granted citizenship, and protection against statelessness (principle 15 (a), (b) and (c), and the rights of persons belonging to minorities to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practise their own religion, and to use their own language and to develop their ethnic, linguistic, cultural and religious identity in conformity with international law, in particular the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities (principle 16 (a) and (b)). 67. The participants in the Conference also laid down the institutional and operational frameworks for the achievement of durable solutions for population displacement problems of the CIS countries, including preventive measures which stressed the need to promote and protect the rights of persons belonging to minorities. Reference was made to the promotion and the use of minority languages in the areas of education and culture, in legal procedures before courts and in relations with administrative authorities, by the media, as well as in the economic and social fields. It was emphasized that the establishment and maintenance of unimpeded contacts among persons belonging to a national minority, as well as contacts across frontiers by persons belonging to a national minority with persons with whom they share a common ethnic or national origin, cultural heritage or religious belief, contributes to mutual understanding and promotes good neighbourly relations. The report of the Conference is contained in document CISCONF/1996/6. 68. In the area of technical cooperation in the field of human rights, a number of meetings have been held in Turin, Italy over the course of 1996 as part of a wider training programme in human rights for members of the armed forces. Training seminars have been undertaken for senior military instructors from the Balkan and Central Asian States, for senior military instructors from Lusophone African States, and for United Nations peacekeeping military instructors. In addition, an expert consultation meeting was held in Geneva on human rights training for military officers from 21 countries of Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and Central and Latin America. The topics discussed during the seminars included human rights and humanitarian law principles, the military and the rule of law, the military in civilian policing duties, and the democratic process and the rule of law. 69. At these training seminars, the participants discussed the respect for the rights of persons belonging to minorities within the framework of national interest and international peace and security. Reference was made to the minority-related provisions in international human rights instruments, including the Declaration, such as the rights to use their own language, to run their own schools, and to take part in the political, economic and cultural life of their country. The Armed Forces High Command was urged to take concrete measures aimed at protecting and promoting the rights of persons belonging to minorities by eliminating discrimination against the members of minority groups and taking positive administrative steps to ensure that the armed forces were genuinely representative of the national community in their ethnic, linguistic, religious, regional and national composition. /...