if persons belonging to national minorities, in turn, participate in all aspects of public life and respect the rules and regulations of the country they reside in. Based on the experience of the HCNM, peace, stability, security and prosperity can only be achieved in societies promoting the integration of minorities while respecting their diversity. Integration with respect for diversity is not a matter of “either/or”, but a question of finding the appropriate balance, acknowledging the right of minorities to maintain and develop their own language, culture and identity and at the same time achieving an integrated society where every person in the State has the opportunity to take part in and influence the political, social and economic life of mainstream society. This principle is underpinned, inter alia, by the FCNM (Articles 5 and 6). A well-integrated society in which all participate and interact is in the interest of both States and minorities. It is the result of a continuous and democratic process that contributes to good governance and requires commitment from both sides. Separation between communities and groups is not usually a good basis on which to build a well-functioning society with good prospects of future stability. Integration involves interaction, not just tolerating a plurality of cultures. Against such a background, persons belonging to minorities not only have the right to opportunities to develop their identity (as reiterated in Recommendation 6 above), but also a responsibility to participate in cultural, social and economic life and in public affairs, thus integrating into the wider national society. This includes, for instance, the need to learn the State language while at the same time enjoy adequate opportunities for learning of, and in, the minority language, as put forward in the Copenhagen Document (paragraph 34), The Hague Recommendations Regarding the Education Rights of National Minorities (no. 1) and the Explanatory Report to Article 14 of the FCNM. Integration also implies that national minorities should participate in all aspects of governance of their country of residence; their involvement should not be restricted to those areas that specifically concern them. 8. States should not unduly restrict the right of persons belonging to national minorities to establish and maintain unimpeded and peaceful contacts across frontiers with persons lawfully residing in other States, in particular those with whom they share a national or ethnic, cultural, linguistic or religious identity, or a common cultural heritage. Recommendations on National Minorities in Inter-State Relations 15