Falkland Islands elected member of the Legislative Assembly, Mark Pollard speaking with the UK media insisted on the Islands' people right to self determination and even questioned that the Falklands ever belonged to Argentina.
By Teslyn Barkman (*) - In March 2013, Falkland Islanders took to the polls in an internationally observed referendum in which 99.8% of voters, on a turnout of 92%, voted in favor of remaining a self-governing Overseas Territory of the UK. We spoke for our future.
On Tuesday the Falklands government in an official release reiterated the need for human rights and democratic liberties of the Falklands' nation to be respected, particularly self-determination.
The Falkland Islands Government notes the Government of Argentina’s latest attempt to twist history in favor of their claim over our sovereignty. By marking the raising of their flag in the Falkland Islands, they only highlight the flaws in their interpretation of the history of our home.
Falkland Island’s Legislative Assembly member, Mike Summers, recently travelled to North America on a three week trip to gauge support for the Falklands’ right to self-determination from the new Canadian Government. In addition to visiting Canada, MLA Summers also made stops in Miami and the Bahamas.
Falklands' lawmaker Ian Hansen currently visiting Guyana met with President David Granger to familiarize himself with local politics and secure Georgetown's views on the Islands' right to self determination.
President Mauricio Macri's government reaffirmed on Sunday, 3 January, Argentina's sovereignty rights over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands on the 183 anniversary of the 'British occupation of the archipelago' in the South Atlantic, and called for dialogue with the United Kingdom. In a statement published in the Foreign Ministry site it said that “Argentina renews its commitment to the peaceful solution of controversies, to international law to and multilateralism”.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has urged Caribbean countries to stop giving support to Argentine sovereignty claims over the Falkland Islands He told the Jamaican parliament it was time to stand up for the rights of small islands to self-determination.
The people of the non-self governing territories on the United Nations list, like Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands, have to be decolonised in accordance with the wishes of those people in exercise of the right of self determination, said Gibraltar Deputy Chief minister Dr. Joseph Garcia during the opening of the academic symposium on “Self-determination, devolution and independence in the 21st century”
The Falklands Islands reaffirmed its right to self determination supported by the UN charter and different resolutions going back to 1960, and at the same time accused Argentina of doing its utmost to damage the Islands economy.