MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina describes Falklands' governor speech on links as 'positive', but they must be bilateral through UK

Malcorra affirmed she was aware that the Falklands' governor had said the Islands were hopeful of a chance for a productive relationship with Argentina

Argentina believes there is an opportunity to improve the relation with the Falkland Islanders, and 'we are exploring available options', but those links must be channeled through bilateral relations with the United Kingdom, since the Islands dispute is with the UK.

 The statement belongs to foreign minister Susana Malcorra who on Wednesday convened the media following her six-month-in-office report to the Lower House Foreign relations and Mercosur committee.

Ms. Malcorra affirmed she was aware that the Falklands' governor (Colin Roberts) had said the Islands were hopeful of a chance for a productive relationship with Argentina, (given recent attitudes of the president Macri administration), and “although I haven't read those statements, I know they have been positive in so far there's a clear interest of rapprochement”.

However the minister insisted, “we have to be cautious, our differences are with the UK, and as such we must maintain links through the bilateral relations with UK. Said this, I believe there is an opportunity to improve the relation with the inhabitants of the Islands and we are exploring available options”.

She added the Argentine ministry was working with some ideas, “and as soon as those ideas have been developed we are going to share them, but we don't want to anticipate anything since it's a complex, delicate issue, and we want to gear it as it should”.

In another turn of foreign policy, Ms Malcorra also revealed that president Macri has confirmed his attendance to the Pacific Alliance meeting in Chile, to which he has been especially invited by Chile and Peru.

“It's true we are interested in observer status with the Pacific Alliance and as such Argentina has applied, that's all so far, the observer status” said Malcorra.

The Pacific Alliance, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico, emerged only a few years ago and has proved to be more business oriented, effective and dynamic in its trade relations with other countries and blocks. When it first surfaced the Alliance was immediately seen by Brazil and Argentina as a competitor for Mercosur, the block launched in 1991, but which has been stalled as it became more political and ideologically oriented.

But under the current conservative governments in Argentina and Brazil, both countries have been more constructive towards the Pacific Alliance and want closer ties since the four members have been far more effective in their international business, trade and investment relations.

No wonder then the Argentine approach to the Pacific Alliance.

Malcorra said that Chile, in a similar vein, “is an observer member of Mercosur, and what we are doing is expanding those mechanisms, so that from a initial approach and limited participation we can understand how complementation mechanisms function”.

The official added that a meeting at technical level between Mercosur and the Pacific Alliance, took place recently in Lima, Peru, and “we have advanced in some mechanisms which we will address jointly”.

Argentina must take advantage of all those involvement opportunities to expand globally, said Malcorra.

“Mercosur is aware of all this and let me tell you that there's another Mercosur member which already has observer status with the Pacific Alliance”, concluded Malcorra.