Recommendations on National Minorities in Inter-State Relations I. General principles 1. Sovereignty comprises the jurisdiction of the State over its territory and population, and is constrained only by the limits established by international law. No State may exercise jurisdiction over the population or part of the population of another State within the territory of that State without its consent. 2. Sovereignty also implies the obligation of the State to respect and to ensure the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms of all persons within its territory and subject to its jurisdiction, including the rights and freedoms of persons belonging to national minorities. The respect for and protection of minority rights is primarily the responsibility of the State where the minority resides. 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. 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 Recommendations on National Minorities in Inter-State Relations 5