Argentina abandons pact with UK over disputed islands
The Argentinian government plans to resume negotiations with the UK concerning sovereignty over the disputed Malvinas Islands.
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People visit Gypsy Cove, near Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, May 17, 2018. (Reuters)
Argentina took the decision to withdraw from a cooperation pact with the United Kingdom on Friday and called for new talks with London to discuss the sovereignty of the disputed Malvinas Islands, a move that drew intense criticism from the UK government.
The foreign ministry announced on Thursday that the government has plans to resume negotiations to revisit its claims over the islands, known as the Falkland Islands in Britain, which are the bone of contention between Buenos Aires and London since 1982.
The ministry added that Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero wrote a proposal to restart negotiations for sovereignty over the Falklands in a meeting with his British counterpart James Cleverly during the G20 talks in the Indian capital of New Delhi. The government also invited the UK to settle the debate at the UN.
Following the meeting with Cafiero, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly criticized Argentina’s plan to start new talks over the disputed Islands, which London claims as a self-governing overseas territory.
The Falkland Islands are British.
— James Cleverly🇬🇧 (@JamesCleverly) March 2, 2023
Islanders have the right to decide their own future - they have chosen to remain a self-governing UK Overseas Territory. https://t.co/UTpiyJ74LN
“The Falkland Islands are British,” he wrote on Thursday, stressing that “Islanders have the right to decide their own future — they have chosen to remain a self-governing UK Overseas Territory.”
The minister's views were restated by David Rutley, the UK minister for the Americas and Caribbean, who described Argentina's government's announcement as a "disappointing decision."
Where are the Malvinas Islands?
Situated just over 480 km from the Argentine coast, the Malvinas Islands are located in the South Atlantic Ocean.
Argentina and the UK fought a 10-week war over the archipelago, occupied by the UK since 1833, in April-June 1982. The UK prevailed with the help of its allies, notably Chile.
Over the years, the Argentinean government stepped up efforts to regain control over the islands, which hold an estimated 3,200 people from 60 countries.
The two sides agreed to disagree about sovereignty in 2016, but chose to cooperate on issues like energy, shipping and fishing.
