Following the UK government’s decision to return ownership of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, the Argentine government has emphasized its commitment to regaining sovereignty of the Falkland Islands (known as Islas Malvinas in Spanish).
A statement released by Argentina’s Foreign Ministry in response to the UK announcement celebrated “the historic event in the decolonization process, which confirms the importance of dialogue, diplomatic negotiations and peaceful means of resolving disputes between countries”.
The statement continued: “Argentina sees in this agreement an encouraging example to continue working towards a serious and constructive dialogue with the United Kingdom, in order to generate the confidence necessary to resume negotiations on the sovereignty of the Malvinas, Georgia del Sur, Sandwich Islands . del Sur, and the surrounding maritime areas, in accordance with United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2065 (XX).
The news was also welcomed by Argentina’s foreign minister, Diana Mondino, who described the UK’s decision to cede the Chagos Islands to Mauritius as a “step in the right direction” towards “ending outdated practices”. . She added: “Continuing in the direction we started, with concrete actions and not with empty rhetoric, we will recover the full sovereignty of our Malvina Islands. The Malvinas were, are and will always be Argentine.”
Alison Blake, the governor of the Falkland Islands, posted a statement to X in which she acknowledged, “I am aware that there may be concerns, whether among the Falkland Islands community or others, about the potential that may be read in the Islands Falklands”.
She emphasized that the “legal and historical contexts” of the Chagos Islands and the Falkland Islands are “very different” and concluded, “The UK Government remains committed to protecting the right to self-determination of Falkland Islanders and the steadfast commitment of The UK’s commitment to protecting the UK’s sovereignty remains undiminished.”
At the end of September, Great Britain and Argentina reached a new agreement on the Falkland Islands. The pact includes the resumption of weekly flights between the Brazilian city of São Paulo and the islands. Once a month, a flight between the two destinations will also stop in the Argentinian city of Córdoba.
The two governments also agreed to resume negotiations on a humanitarian project plan and organize a visit for relatives of soldiers killed in the Falklands conflict to visit their graves.
However, Argentina’s Vice President Victoria Villarruel strongly criticized the pact, describing it as “contrary to the interests of our nation”. She added: “Do they take us for fools? They get material benefits, concrete and immediate, while they offer us crumbs as emotional comfort and weaken our possibility of negotiation”.
