MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Macri's government renews Falklands' sovereignty claim and calls on UK for dialogue

The statement insists that solution to the issue will be through a path of dialogue, peace and diplomacy, “to which the international community is urging us to”

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”.

 Argentina invites “the UK to resume negotiations with the purpose of resolving, in the shortest time possible, and in a fair and definitive way, the sovereignty dispute over the Malvinas, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime spaces”.

The statement insists that solution to the issue will be through a path of dialogue, peace and diplomacy, “to which the international community is urging us to”.

On taking office last 10 December president Mauricio Macri in his speech to Congress made a brief reference to sovereignty disputes, but this is the first time there is a specific statement on the issue, based on Argentina's Malvinas calendar of events.

The communiqué states that on 3 January 1833 the Malvinas Islands were occupied by British forces that dislodged the Argentine population and authorities rightfully established, replacing them with subjects from the occupying poser. Argentina protested immediately this illegitimate act of force which remains, without having ever consented it.

From the very existence as an independent nation, Argentina has exteriorized through acts of government the strong political will to exercise effective sovereignty in the austral territories and surrounding maritime spaces inherited from Spain.

Today, 183 years since the illegitimate occupation which continues, the people and the government of Argentina reaffirm once again the imprescriptible sovereignty rights of Argentina over the Malvinas, South Georgia, South Sandwich Islands and surrounding maritime spaces.

The First Transitory Clause of the Argentine constitution enshrines the standing and unrenounceable objective of recovering full sovereignty over those territories and maritime spaces, in conformity with international law principles and respecting the way of life of the inhabitants of the Malvinas Islands. This objective is a State policy and responds to the desires of all the Argentine people.

The year which has just finished marked the 50th anniversary of Resolution 2065 (XX) from the UN General Assembly, the first specifically referred to the Malvinas Islands Question, ratified by all later resolutions from the General Assembly and its Decolonization Special Committee.

For decades the international community underlines the Malvinas Islands Question as one of the forms of colonialism which must be put to an end and calls on Argentina and the UK to find ways, in the shortest time possible, for a peaceful and lasting solution to the sovereignty dispute, through bilateral negotiations.

Our region is unanimous in its rejection of the military presence in the South Atlantic, expressing concern through different declarations from the Mercosur and associate states', presidential summits, UNASUR, Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, (CELAC), and the Ibero-American summit. Likewise other regions have supported the resumption of negotiations such is the case of the South American and Arab countries summit (ASPA) and the summit of South American and African countries (ASA).

Also the G77 and China have recognized that Argentina has the right to undertake legal actions, with full respect for International Law and pertinent resolutions, against hydrocarbons exploration and exploitation activities non authorized, in its maritime spaces, which includes the continental shelf.

Fifty years since UN General Assembly Resolution 2065 (XX), Argentina renews its strong commitment with the peaceful solution of controversies, International law and multilateralism and invites the UK to resume negotiations with the purpose of resolving, in the shortest time possible, and in a fair and definitive way, the sovereignty dispute over the Malvinas, South Georgia, South Sandwich and surrounding maritime spaces, through the path of dialogue, peace and diplomacy to which the international community is urging us to”