MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

UK praises naming of Argentine ambassador to London, calls for “strengthened cooperation”

Alicia Castro played an important role as head of the Caracas office, a close ally of the Kirchner couple

The British government acknowledged on Friday the naming of the new Argentine ambassador to the United Kingdom, and stated that they hoped the coverage of the long-vacant position will permit “the strengthening of cooperation” between the two countries.

“We take with great satisfaction the decision to name an Argentine ambassador to London,” stated a spokesperson for the British Foreign Office a day after the nomination of Alicia Castro to the position.

“We hope that this provides us with the opportunity to strengthen the cooperation between our two countries, including bettering bilateral relations, working together on world challenges such as combating climate change and strengthening collaboration in science and innovation,” the spokesperson added, without mentioning the differences between the two countries over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands sovereignty dispute.

The designation of Alicia Castro in the role that had been vacant for nearly four years comes at a time of escalated tension between Argentina and the UK over the sovereignty of the Malvinas islands, nearing to the 30th anniversary of the Malvinas war next April.

The Argentine foreign ministry sent out a communiqué on Thursday stating “on this occasion the Argentine government would like to reiterate, again, their request for dialogue with the British government to comply with the resolutions made by the United Nations over the matter of the Malvinas Islands.”

Castro takes Federico Mirrés place, the previous and last Argentine ambassador to the UK, who left office in August 2008 at the end of his mandate to retire.

Ms Castro has a unionist and lawmaker background and her last post was Argentina’s ambassador to Venezuela.