MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

UK tells India, “Britain has no doubts about Falklands sovereignty,” and Islanders right to self determination

India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Buenos Aires last week and held discussion on broadening cooperation across bilateral and multilateral arena (Pic Twitter)

Days after India extended support to Argentina's campaign to restart international negotiations on the Falkland Islands sovereignty claim in the South Atlantic, a British official on Monday said there was “no doubt” about the United Kingdom's sovereignty over the Islands.

According to a report from Indian daily, “The Hindu”, a spokesperson of the British High Commission said that the citizens of the Islands had conveyed that they did not wish to hold further discussion on sovereignty. “The United Kingdom has no doubt about its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and surrounding maritime areas, nor about the principle and the right of the Falkland Islanders to self-determination as enshrined in the UN Charter,” the spokesperson said.

India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited the Argentine capital Buenos Aires last week and held discussion on broadening cooperation across bilateral and multilateral arena. Argentina's Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero had visited India in April and sought India's support in restarting international negotiation on the Falkland/Malvinas Islands.

During his tour, Mr. Jaishankar reiterated India's support for resumption of discussions on the issue that had triggered in 1982 an Argentine military invasion of the Islands, 74 days later defeated by a Task Force sent by Britain to recover the Islands. UK victory strengthened British sovereignty over the region, despite which Argentina keeps claiming.

Argentina has maintained ever since that the war did not resolve the territorial issue and Mr. Cafiero said Argentina hoped to get the Islands back through diplomacy and negotiation. He had described London's political control over the Falklands as “absurd”.

The Falklands held a referendum in 2013 in which an overwhelming majority — 99.8% — of the voters wanted to maintain their current status as an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom.

The British High Commission's spokesperson rejected the possibility of restarting the negotiation saying, “Discussions on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands can only happen if the Islanders wish. They have made it absolutely clear that they do not.”

Despite UK's unwillingness, the Argentine campaign for the Falklands/Malvinas is expected to strengthen in the coming months as Buenos Aires continues its diplomatic drive to become member of new groupings. A member of G20, Argentina last week secured India's consent to become a member of an expanded BRICS.

The United Kingdom has argued that its relationship with the Falkland Islands and similar Overseas Territories is marked by “partnership, shared values” as well as the “right of the people of each territory to determine their own future”. 2022 marks the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War which lasted for nearly 10 weeks.

The war began when Argentina sent a naval task force into the Falklands Islands, and ended with the surrender of the Argentine side. A total of 649 Argentine military personnel and 255 British soldiers and three civilian Islanders died in the conflict.

Falklands is a self governing territory with an autonomous elected Legislative Assembly, eight members; foreign policy is decided by the Falklands elected government with an advisory role from the Foreign Office, while defense rests on the UK.