Argentina has announced its intention to revisit its claim over the Falkland Islands, also known as the Islas Malvinas in Spanish, and bring the question of the islands’ disputed sovereignty before the United Nations. The South American country has called on the United Kingdom to launch new talks over the sovereignty of the disputed archipelago in the South Atlantic. The announcement comes after a meeting between Argentinian foreign minister Santiago Cafiero and UK officials at the Group of 20 (G20) summit held in New Delhi, India, this week.
The decision effectively ends the 2016 Foradori-Duncan pact, a non-binding statement to agree to disagree on the sovereignty of the islands, in favour of improving relations on trade and security. The pact included an agreement to identify the remains of unknown Argentinian soldiers who died during the 1982 Falkland War. That conflict saw long-simmering tensions between the UK and Argentina come to a head as the South American country launched a military invasion to assert its control over the cluster of islands. The UK sent its navy to respond. The conflict, which lasted 10 weeks, resulted in the deaths of 649 Argentinian military members, 255 British soldiers and three civilian women.
The archipelago, which sits about 600 kilometres (373 miles) off the coast of Argentina, is home to an estimated 3,200 people from 60 countries, according to its government. Currently, the UK identifies the islands as a self-governing overseas territory. In 2013, a referendum was held on the island to gauge whether residents wished to retain their status as a British territory. An estimated 99.8 percent of participants voted yes.
However, Argentina’s announcement has been met with strong criticism in the UK, which also claims authority over the Falkland Islands. Foreign secretary James Cleverly took to Twitter to blast Argentina’s plan to revisit talks over the Falkland Islands. “The Falkland Islands are British,” he wrote on Thursday. “Islanders have the right to decide their own future — they have chosen to remain a self-governing UK Overseas Territory.” David Rutley, the UK’s minister for the Americas and the Caribbean, also called the announcement “a disappointing decision” after his recent visit to Buenos Aires. “Argentina has chosen to step away from an agreement that has brought comfort to the families of those who died in the 1982 conflict,” he wrote on Twitter. “Argentina, the UK and the Falklands all benefited from this agreement.”
Argentina’s call for the question of the islands’ sovereignty to be resolved before the United Nations is likely to be met with resistance from the UK. The two sides have been engaged in a long-standing dispute over the Falkland Islands, which dates back to 1833 when Britain first established its claim over the islands. Argentina has maintained that it inherited its claim to sovereignty over the Falkland Islands from Spain when it gained independence in 1816.
The dispute has been a contentious issue between Argentina and the UK for decades, with both sides refusing to back down. The UK has repeatedly rejected Argentina’s claims and has maintained that it will continue to protect the rights of Falkland Islanders to self-determination. The announcement by Argentina is likely to further escalate tensions between the two countries and could lead to renewed diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute.