MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands/Malvinas: Brazil joins Argentina in criticizing UK’s “unilateral actions”

Brazilian Defence minister Nelson Jobim

The Brazilian government questioned UK’s “unilateral actions” regarding the (Falklands) Malvinas Islands and called for the sovereignty “long standing dispute” to reach “as soon as possible a solution”.

The words belong to Brazilian Defence minister Nelson Jobim who met with his Argentina peer Nilda Garré on the sidelines of the IX Conference of Ministers of Defence from the Americas which is taking place at the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra.

A release from the Argentine Defence ministry underlines Brazil’s support for Argentina’s claim over the Falklands and other South Atlantic Islands and adjoining maritime spaces, pointing out that unilateral measures and actions are not compatible with United Nations resolutions.

Minister Jobim recalled regional interest for the long standing sovereignty dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom referred to “the Malvinas, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and adjoining maritime spaces to reach as soon as possible a solution according to the pertinent resolutions from United Nations; declarations from the Organization of American States, Mercosur, Unasur and other regional and multilateral forums”.

Argentine Minister Garré thanked her Brazilian peer’s support statement adding that such declarations “contribute to consolidate even more the strategic alliance between both countries”.

On Monday during the opening speeches of the different ministers at the conference, Garré criticized the “persistent British occupation of the Malvinas Islands and the UK’s systematic denial to abide by United Nations resolutions”.

She also questioned UK “military exercises” in the Islands and “unilateral actions referred to the exploitation of natural resources which do not belong to the UK”.

The Argentine minister also warned about the possibility of a “major environmental catastrophe” in the Falklands/Malvinas waters (similar to what happened in the Gulf of Mexico with BP) because of the hydrocarbons activities.

In the framework of the Defence Ministers conference Argentina and Brazil signed a Joint Declaration calling for intensified Argentine-Brazilian defence cooperation in several fields.