Minorities, in the preamble of the FCNM and in the Final Declaration of the 1993 OSCE Vienna Summit. Protection of minority rights by the State in which minorities reside is, therefore, not only one of the cornerstones of international law but also a precondition for peace, security and democratic governance, especially in multi-ethnic States. 3. The protection of human rights, including minority rights, is also a matter of legitimate concern to the international community. States should address their concerns for persons or situations within other States through international co-operation and the conduct of friendly relations. This includes the full support by States of international human rights standards and their agreed international monitoring mechanisms. While the protection of human rights, including minority rights, is primarily the responsibility of the State where the minority resides, it is also a matter of legitimate international concern. This has been emphasized, inter alia, by the OSCE participating States in the 1991 Document of the Moscow Meeting of the Conference on the Human Dimension of the CSCE, as respect for these rights and freedoms constitutes one of the foundations of international legal order. With regard to minority rights in particular, this has been underlined in Section II, paragraph 3 of the 1991 “Report of the CSCE Meeting of Experts on National Minorities in Geneva”, which states that “issues concerning minorities, as well as compliance with international obligations and commitments concerning the rights of persons belonging to them, are matters of legitimate international concern and consequently do not constitute exclusively an internal affair of the respective State”. As the protection of human rights, including minority rights, falls within the scope of international co-operation, the concerns of States for people or situations within other States must be expressed within the framework of the basic principles of international law, including the conduct of friendly relations. While pursuing bilateral agreements, States should ensure that these do not undermine or contradict international standards set out in multilateral instruments. This issue is elaborated in Section IV of these Recommendations. States should co-operate on questions relating to persons belonging to minorities, inter alia, by exchanging information and experiences, including for example through joint commissions, in order to promote mutual understanding and confidence. The procedural principles of good neighbourliness, friendly relations and international co-operation are stated in, inter alia, the UN Charter (Article 1(2)), the 1970 Declaration on Principles of Recommendations on National Minorities in Inter-State Relations 11