MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Next year's won't be just another Malvinas anniversary, Argentine Defense Minister Rossi vowed

“The vigil for the 40th anniversary of the Malvinas War begins today,” said Minister Rossi.

Argentine Defense Minister Agustin Rossi Friday presided over the ceremony where the Armed Forces commemorated the 39th anniversary of the military landing on the Malvinas/Falkland Islands which eventually led to the 1982 armed conflict with the United Kingdom and promised things will be different a year from now.

Together with Rossi and observing strict sanitary protocols were Malvinas, Antarctica and South Atlantic Secretary Daniel Filmus; Joint Chiefs Of Staff Commander, Army General Juan Martín Paleo; as well as the heads of each force: General Agustín Cejas (Army), Vice Admiral Julio Horacio Guardia (Navy) and Brigadier Major Xavier Julián Isaac (Air Force), as well as General Andrés Severino (Border Guard - Gendarmería), Coast Guard authorities and War Veterans. 

“Remembering April 2 implies valuing, remembering, loving those who gave their lives fighting for our sovereignty. Together with the Argentine people, we join in honouring those who fought in the Malvinas, those who fell fighting bravely, but also those who returned to the continent and bear in their bodies and minds the pride and traces of having participated in“ the conflict, Filmus said.

Vice Admiral Guardia pointed out that “Malvinas has left an indelible mark on Argentine history, both for the justice of the claim and for the different actions of those who fought, giving a thorough demonstration of selfless dedication. and passionate patriotism. They fulfilled the entrusted mission with heroic courage, and carried out feats that deserve the greatest gratitude of our people and the privilege of being recognized as War Veterans.”

He had a special line for ”those who did not return, the firm and unconditional commitment of those of us who relieved them in each maneuvering position to keep their memory alive, continue to protect the vital interests of the Nation and not cease to the determination to achieve our definitive territorial integrity.”

Army General Paleo spoke to “You, Veterans present here, and those who did not return, are contemporary heroes. Your generation and part of ours as well, had to be inspired by the epic of what the military vocation is in the history books and go back to the Continental Plan. (…) Today, the new generations have you, they can touch you, read you, listen to you, see you and that is an intangible value that we have to preserve. Malvinas is a cause that must exceed any type of partial vision and any type of interest, personal or economic.”

Rossi, for his part, underlined that “we claim our sovereign rights over [the islands] since the 1994 constitutional reform. Malvinas were, are and will be Argentine.” He anticipated that by next year ”we do not want it to be another anniversary, so we propose to turn that vigil that is from one night into a year. The vigil for the 40th anniversary of the Malvinas War begins today; and we have created a commission that is destined to turn this into a deeply Malvinian Year, where Malvinas are present 365 days in each corner of the country.”

Meanwhile, President Alberto Fernández, who did not attend the ceremony, posted on his Twitter account (@alferdez) that “the Malvinas Islands were, are and will be Argentine,” He added that “today, like every April 2, we honour the memory of our veteran and fallen heroes in the Malvinas war and we vindicate our sovereignty over the territory.”