MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay has interests in Falklands, beyond the UK/Argentina territorial dispute

Jaime Trobo: understanding the political realities of the South Atlantic

Uruguayan opposition lawmakers, as from the rest of the continent will be travelling to the Falklands as observers of the referendum scheduled for next March 10/11 “to see the legitimacy of the process and results” but also because Uruguay has interests that go beyond the territorial dispute between Argentina and the UK.

“The purpose of the trip is to see the legitimacy of the process, characteristics, results notwithstanding what we believe about the sovereignty of the Malvinas Islands”, said Uruguayan lawmaker Jaime Trobo from the main opposition National Party.

He explained that all observers from the American continent will be travelling to the Falklands invited by an NGO, “and from all political tendencies with that only purpose of assessing the legitimacy of the whole process”.

 Trobo admitted that most probably the presence of foreign lawmakers as observers of the referendum will disappoint the Argentine government which describes the ballot as illegal, illegitimate and with no validity and probably the Uruguayan officials “who share Argentina’s view of the dispute”.

 “That’s fine for the government, but the truth is that we have no commitments with this (Uruguayan) government’s foreign policy. We are not compromising the Uruguayan State, or its position on the sovereignty issue. The fact is that it is a process which we must see with our own eyes”, insisted Trobo.

 Remaining absent from such an initiative, such an event “and closing our eyes to something we know exists, to a population that has been there for over 150 years and is deeply linked to Uruguay, would be not to understand political realities”.

 “I believe Uruguay must stand very close to the inhabitants of the Malvinas, of its legislative assembly, of its government of the Islands’ community since it is a strategic point in the relation of the Malvinas with the world”, added Trobo.

Further on he said that “Montevideo is the closest friendliest port and from here we provide the Malvinas people many services, some of them study in Uruguay, and receive medical attention at the British Hospital. What is most clear is that Uruguay has interests that go far beyond the dispute over the territory and this we must strengthen”.