MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina downgrades Malvinas Department, but sovereignty claim “remains as strong as ever”

“Malvinas Islands Secretariat has been transformed into the Malvinas and South Atlantic Islands Under Secretariat, as it has always been” confirmed Malcorra

The Argentine government announced it downgraded the Malvinas Islands department at the Foreign ministry, but minister Susana Malcorra insisted that the sovereignty claim over the South Atlantic Islands “remains” as strong as ever and will advance in different forms, probably more subtle, and with Gibraltar as a reference.

 “The former Malvinas Islands Secretariat has been transformed into the Malvinas and South Atlantic Islands Under Secretariat, as it has always been” confirmed Ms Malcorra on Friday.

She added that the rank of that office “to address the Malvinas has been traditionally that of an Under Secretariat. It was only in recent times that the department was upgraded to full Secretariat” in reference to the office which with ex president Cristina Fernandez was under Daniel Filmus.

“The whole issue is far more complicated that only the Malvinas Islands so we thought this had to be addressed in the harmonious overall management of relations. The issue depends on the Secretary who is responsible for all foreign relations”, explained the Argentine foreign minister.

Asked if this new ranking of the office could mean a change in Malvinas claim policy, Malcorra said that “most probably the structures will be different”

“We are going to insist with the claim which is historic and is established in the Constitution, we don't have options to act differently. As Argentines we know and understand what we pretend with the Malvinas, and it's a principle we are not going to drop. What we are going to do is to address it in a form and relation with the UK and the rest of the world, which might result with some subtleties”, anticipated the minister.

With the UK, “we are going to talk on many issues, without yielding in what we believe is our sovereignty right but this also means having a mature position on the rest of the many other things we can talk about”

Malcorra then said she likes to compare what goes on between the UK and Spain regarding the Gibraltar claim. “It's a historic claim in which Spain does not yield, but in the meantime they have very strong trade and investments relations, and that is what we should be doing”.

Finally, “I believe we can find some path along which we can have some advantages in other areas, while we keep pushing for the Malvinas Islands, as mandated by the constitution”.