MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands want to be good neighbors and have closer links with Latin America

A full day of celebrations at Stanley's racecourse on Saturday to commemorate 250 years of British rule

The Falkland Islands and its people want to be 'good neighbors, have trade links, cooperation agreements and closer relations with the southern cone of South America, but 'without losing our identity', said Falklands lawmakers to Punta Arenas Prensa Austral that was present at the celebrations last Saturday for the 250th anniversary of the first flying of the Union Flag in the Islands marking the beginning of British rule.

 However this clashes with reality since Argentine president Cristina Fernandez and her former husband and previous president, Nestor Kirchner have done their upmost to isolate the Falklands and impede relations with other countries from the continent, explains the article, going as far as saying that the Islands have become a sort of “uncomfortable” neighbor for Chile.

But this has not prevented the Falklands from continuing to develop in several fields, and lately in energy with a new round of exploratory drilling scheduled to begin in March. Nevertheless Falkland Islanders are cautious about becoming an oil producing region.

“It's important to keep the industries which we already have, fisheries, agriculture tourism, because whatever income from oil and gas is finite. And tourism could be an even greater boom be it not for Argentina's policy which banned charter flights to the Falklands”, admits MLA Phyl Rendell.

MLA Gavin Short is quoted saying that “we have to wait for a change in the Argentine government, hopefully a more sensible one, because the current administration is only interested in its policy to isolate us”.

“We would like to have a good neighborly relation with all Latin American countries: a better opportunity for delivering and providing our oil industry from the continent. But given the Argentine government threats against all the oil companies involved in exploration, they have organized and simply have overcome the need to have contacts with the continent”.

MLA Mike Summers refers to the British and/or Falklands flagged vessels which have been challenged, harassed by Argentina eliminating all chances of better links. “No vessel has been arrested but every now and then the Argentine Coast Guard has insisted in being a nuisance, not only in trips from Falklands to Punta Arenas, but also to links with Uruguay. Following the war there was an ongoing link with Punta Arenas for wood, fresh produce, mechanical support, but in the last ten years this great trade with Chile had eroded”.

MLA Summers also points out that there has been a distancing of Chile, as it aligns closer to Argentina's sovereignty claims over the Falklands, despite the once strong trade and the fact that 600 Chilean nationals work in the Islands. Falklands have a population of just over 3.000.

“We would like to see stronger links, as we have had historically with Magallanes region and Punta Arenas, but we are limited to one weekly flight”, added MLA Phyl Rendell. But as Mike has said “we have not had much communications recently with Punta Arenas”.

MLA Rendell revealed that a few years ago Chilean lawmakers were invited to the Falklands, 'but they always had an excuse'. Punta Arenas mayor was interested in coming to promote business and trade, but apparently was instructed from Santiago to desist.

Nevertheless “we've had delegations from Punta Arenas chamber of commerce visit us; last year a group of farmers came over and other sectors including from Asmar”.

The situation also has an impact for the Falklands private sector as Roger Spink Managing director of The Falkland Islands Company explained.

“Because of Argentine pressure we must look for other provision sources, which before we would import from Punta Arenas such as fresh produce, but which we now must bring from the UK, it's a nuisance but it won't stop us, this is not a loss for us, but rather for those who supplied us before”, underlined Spink.

Furthermore, “support and logistics for the oil industry developing in the Falklands could have come from Chile or Argentina, but it's coming from Aberdeen in Scotland, which is really sad for those two countries that at some time were trade partners”.

Finally, “we like to have business with Punta Arenas, they are similar to us and losing those links is like cutting links with a member of the family. However despite Argentina's efforts, we have built a rather successful community and we have to look for other possibilities”, concludes the article published on Thursday in La Prensa Austral.