International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the CSCE Charter of Paris for a New Europe. These principles, in particular regarding minorities, are reaffirmed in the UN Declaration on Minorities (Articles 6 and 7), in the CSCE Copenhagen Document (paragraph 36(1)), in the FCNM (Articles 1, 2 and 18) and in the Stability Pact (paragraph 1(5)). In the context of international responsibility to respect and protect human rights, including minority rights, States are obliged to fulfil their reporting obligations to international supervisory bodies and to ensure that the rights of communication to international courts and tribunals are observed. Supervisory and advisory bodies play an important role in promoting transparency, understanding and goodwill, and ensure that international legal norms are upheld; States should support, develop and fully participate in these mechanisms. 4. A State may have an interest – even a constitutionally declared responsibility – to support persons belonging to national minorities residing in other States based on ethnic, cultural, linguistic, religious, historical or any other ties. However, this does not imply, in any way, a right under international law to exercise jurisdiction over these persons on the territory of another State without that State’s consent. This principle points to the distinction between rights and interests, as well as between international and domestic law. A State may have an interest in supporting persons living abroad sharing ethnic, cultural, linguistic, religious, historical or other characteristics with its majority population and this may even be enshrined in its constitution. This interest, however, even if laid down in domestic law, does not imply, in any way, a right under international law to exercise jurisdiction over these persons. A State cannot exercise its powers, in any form, on the territory of other States without the consent of those States. International law only provides for strictly defined exceptions to this rule, such as the exercise of jurisdiction related to States’ embassies, ships or citizens abroad. As a rule, a State may provide consular protection to its citizens abroad only after consultation and agreement with the State of residence or sojourn, with the exception of the most urgent humanitarian circumstances when such consultation is not possible or stands in the way of effective protection. This requirement of previous consultation applies a fortiori if the person abroad is not a citizen of the 12 Recommendations on National Minorities in Inter-State Relations