MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil reiterates Falklands-flagged vessels will be banned from entering its ports

Cristina Fernandez and Dilma Rousseff share the podium

Brazil reiterated its intention of banning all Falklands’ flagged vessels from calling at the country’s ports and described as “illegal” the current round of oil exploration in the Islands’ waters.

Brazil’s statements were included in a joint communiqué following the meeting last Friday of presidents Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and Dilma Rousseff in Brasilia in which Latin America’s most influential country reaffirms its support for Argentine sovereignty claims over the Falklands and other South Atlantic islands.

“The President of Brazil reiterates the support of the country to the legitimate rights of the Argentine republic in the sovereignty dispute relative to the Malvinas, South Georgia and South Sandwich islands and its adjoining maritime spaces”, said the communiqué.

Further on it states that “this position stands on the long tradition of Brazilian diplomacy in support for the Argentine claim and which is based on the deep rooted historic event of 1833 when through an act of force Argentina was expulsed from the Malvinas territory”.

In the specific paragraph dedicated to shipping the communiqué states that “The President of the Federative Republic of Brazil reaffirms its commitment with the 26 November 2010 UNASUR Declaration to adopt in conformity with International Law and respective domestic legislations, all measures susceptible of being regulated to impede the access to its ports of vessels flying the ‘illegal’ colours of the Malvinas Islands”.

The joint release also establishes the two presidents underlined that the current hydrocarbons ‘illegal’ activities in which the United Kingdom is involved in the Argentine continental shelf “are unilateral actions incompatible with the resolutions of United Nations on the matter and to not contribute at all to reach a definitive solution to the dispute”.

Finally Article 26 of the joint communiqué says that the Argentine President thanked Brazil for its standing support in this question, so sensitive, and in particular the support given by the brother-country in the UN Special Decolonization Committee last June 21st.

Presidents Cristina Fernandez and Dilma Rousseff meet regularly and in this occasion the motive was the inauguration of the Argentina embassy building in Brasilia.

In the official communiqué the presidents reaffirmed the two countries ‘special and strategic relation’ and included a long list of cooperation fields and shared positions in politics, international affairs, finance and trade.