UK Ambassador: We ‘regret’ that Argentina will ‘abandon’ Malvinas agreement

Pending an official announcement, UK diplomatic and political representatives responded on social media

UK Ambassador to Argentina Kirsty Hayes expressed her disappointment this afternoon at Argentina’s withdrawal from a bilateral treaty regarding the Malvinas Islands (which the UK refers to as the Falkland Islands, although Argentina strongly contests this name).

“In 2016, Argentina and the United Kingdom reached a historic agreement that, among other things, launched the process of identifying those who died on the islands after more than 30 years,” she tweeted in Spanish. 

“We regret that the Argentine government has now decided to abandon this important agreement.”

Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero this morning announced Argentina’s decision to withdraw from the Foradori-Duncan treaty, which was signed in 2016 to “improve the bilateral relations” and “remove the obstacles that delayed the development of the Malvinas islands.”

“The Falkland Islands are British,” said Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs James Cleverly, who received Cafiero’s formal withdrawal this morning at the G20 Foreign Minister Summit.

“Islanders have the right to decide their own future — they have chosen to remain a self-governing UK Overseas Territory.”

In March 2013, 99.8% of the islanders voted to remain a British territory in a sovereignty referendum with a 92% turnout. Argentina’s position is that the self-determination argument cannot be applied to the situation in the Malvinas because the United Kingdom has occupied the territories, and thus has long controlled migratory flows.

Parliamentary Undersecretary of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office David Rutley also weighed in, saying, “Argentina has chosen to step away from an agreement that has brought comfort to the families of those who died in the 1982 conflict.”

This referred to the part of the Foradori-Duncan treaty which showed bilateral support for identifying the remains of 237 unidentified Argentine soldiers on the islands. The details of that humanitarian work were later discussed in Geneva with the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) as an intermediary. Since then, 119  of the fallen have been identified.

Cafiero called for renewed bilateral talks about the sovereignty of the Malvinas at the United Nations. Argentina’s position is that the Malvinas are Argentine, and it has consistently objected to the UK’s military presence in the South Atlantic.

Although there hasn’t been an official reaction from the British government, the UK Embassy pointed the Herald toward these social media statements, and said that they would not comment further at this time.

Newsletter

All Right Reserved.  Buenos Aires Herald