MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Despite Falklands issue, Argentina interested in bilateral trade agreement with UK
“Our relation with the U.K. has its special characteristics, and we need to resolve some things before advancing with a bilateral negotiation,” Malcorra said 
Sir A. Duncan and S. Malcorra. A deal with the U.K. would bypass the Mercosur free trade bloc, which also comprises Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and the currently suspended Venezuela. Argentina would be interested in negotiating a bilateral free-trade agreement with the U.K. as it prepares to leave the European Union, potentially turning around harsh relations between the two countries.
Argentina has already been working bilaterally with the U.K. on a number of matters but, before launching trade negotiations, pending issues related to a long-standing dispute over the Falklands Islands need to be solved, Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra said in Buenos Aires.
“You know very well that our relation with the U.K. has its special characteristics, and we need to resolve some things before advancing with a bilateral negotiation,” Malcorra said at the sidelines of a news conference on Wednesday.
The U.K. also wants to negotiate its own trade agreements as it leaves the European Union, the U.K. Department of Trade said. “We will look to build on our strong economic ties with trading partners. This includes the growing economies of Latin America, including Argentina.”
After three decades of simmering tensions in the aftermath of the Falklands War, relations between Argentina and the U.K. have taken a turn for the better since President Mauricio Macri assumed office a year ago vowing to open up the economy. The two countries in September agreed to work toward ending restrictions on oil and gas exploration, shipping and fishing affecting the Falkland Islands, which have been in place since the 1982 conflict. They also agreed to allow flights to the islands from Argentina.
Under former President Cristina Fernandez, Argentina and UK regularly traded barbs over sovereignty rights to the Falklands. Just last year, Cristina Fernandez’s government filed criminal charges against five companies it accused of carrying out oil exploration in the Islands waters without its permission.
Argentina invaded the Falklands in 1982, leading to a 10-week war after which the U.K. retook the islands at a cost of over 900 lives lost on both sides.
A deal with the U.K. would bypass the Mercosur free trade bloc, which also comprises Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and the currently suspended Venezuela. Other members of the bloc have also sought to make the bloc’s rules more flexible to sign their own bilateral trade agreements with other countries. Uruguay for example is determined to reach a trade agreement with China.
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Read all commentsArgentina has already been working bilaterally with the U.K. on a number of matters but, before launching trade negotiations, pending issues related to a long-standing dispute over the Falklands Islands need to be solved, Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra said in Buenos Aires.
Dec 16th, 2016 - 09:57 am +7What is in dispute?
Falklands: 1833 Usurpation & UN Resolutions:
https://www.academia.edu/21721198/Falklands_1833_Usurpation_and_UN_Resolutions
On 20 October 2008 the United Nations General Assembly rejected a motion from Spain and Argentina to place restrictions on the right to self-determination determining that it was a fundamental right. - the islanders get to determine how and by whom they are governed.
@ Voice
Dec 18th, 2016 - 01:33 am +7“Did the Papal Bull split South America between Spain and Portugal...to the exclusion of all others?”
No, it split the whole world between Spain and Portugal, excepting only the christian nations.
“Was South America split between Spain and Portugal and excluded all others”
No. Britain, the Netherlands, and France all had colonies there. Some of the South American continent is today part of France, it's in the EU and uses the Euro.
“The evidence of Britain not colonising South America is self evident...”
Britain made two attempts to annex one of Spain's South American colonies, but failed. It did manage to take some of Spain's possessions in the Caribbean, and in North America. Nothing to do with South vs North or Papal Bulls, and everything to do with military success or failure.
The topic was the legality or otherwise of the Papal Bull Voice which Britain ignored as did everyone else - including Spain & Portugal. The issue of who had what colony when is quite irrelevant. But you are just too thick to recognise when you have lost the argument.
Dec 19th, 2016 - 05:59 am +7So no, the Papal Bulls were recognised as nonsense even back then and were not a large factor in the development of the Americas.
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