multilateral and bilateral instruments and mechanisms. They provide both normative and practical guidance to States in accordance with the general principles of sovereignty, human and minority rights and international responsibility. A more detailed explanation of the Recommendations is provided in an accompanying Explanatory Note which contains express reference to the relevant international standards. Each recommendation is intended to be read in conjunction with the specifically relevant paragraphs of the Explanatory Note and within the context of the document as a whole. It should be noted that the question of national minorities in inter-State relations has often featured between the States of residence and the so-called “kin-States”. This term has been used to describe States whose majority population shares ethnic or cultural characteristics with the minority population of another State. These Recommendations focus on the relationship between such States to a large extent, but not exclusively. They are also applicable to a broader category of States that may have an interest in minorities abroad with bonds such as a shared history, religion or language, which may or may not be considered as constituting kinship. In addition, “kin” is regarded as one of the essentially contested concepts that lacks agreed scientific or legal definition. For these reasons, the term “kin-State” is not used in the text of the Recommendations and is referred to only sparingly in the Explanatory Note when it has an added explanatory value. The term “national minorities” as used in this document encompasses a wide range of minority groups, including religious, linguistic and cultural as well as ethnic minorities, regardless of whether these groups are recognized as such by the States where they reside and irrespective of the denomination under which they are recognized. These Recommendations are relevant for all these groups. In addition, the word “minorities” is often used in the Recommendations as a convenient abbreviation of the phrase “persons belonging to national minorities”. In preparing the Recommendations on National Minorities in Inter-State Relations, the HCNM received valuable input and support from staff members, including Dr. Natalie Sabanadze, Professor Francesco Palermo, Dr. Annelies Verstichel and Mr. Bob Deen. Former HCNM staff members Dr. Walter Kemp, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Professor John Packer, University of Essex, and Mrs. Dzenana Hadziomerovic, Office of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina also assisted in the drafting of the document. Recommendations on National Minorities in Inter-State Relations 3