MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguayan news team visits Falklands ahead of referendum's 10th anniversary

Former MLA Summers wants to renegotiate the agreement to identify fallen Argentine soldiers after Argentina pulled out from the Foradori-Duncan Treaty

A team from Uruguay's news show Telenoche (Montevideo's Channel 4) is visiting the Falkland Island marking the 10th anniversary of the referendum whereby the local population ratified its will to remain a British Overseas Territory despite sovereignty claims from Argentina.

During the consultation held on March 10-11, 2013, the Falklanders were asked, “Do you wish the Falkland Islands to retain their present political status as an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom?” a question that drew 99.8% of ayes from a 92% turnout after a large operation was carried out to get the ballot boxes to the most remote parts of the archipelago.

A diez años del referéndum en Islas Malvinas, donde los isleños decidieron seguir siendo británicos. #TelenocheUY viajó hasta el lugar para hablar con los protagonistas de este hecho. #ModoActualidad ℹ pic.twitter.com/6gAHolSkm2

— Telenoche (@TelenocheUy) March 9, 2023

Argentina's decision to end the 2016 Foradori-Duncan Treaty which had brought on some degree of cooperation between the United Kingdom and the South American country, and also helped with the identification of the bodies of soldiers fallen in the 1982 war, the Falklanders told Telenoche that Buenos Aires' move did not surprise them, but pointed out that such a measure could have negative consequences regarding the issue of the fallen combatants.

”I went to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and I waited to renegotiate the agreement to identify the Argentine war dead, I did it as a representative of my colleagues,“ former MLA Mike Summers told Telenoche.

As per the ”Foradori-Duncan” signed in 2016 under former President Mauricio Macri, both countries recognized their differences regarding the sovereignty issue but agreed to cooperate in the energy, maritime transport, and fishing sectors, and also in the identification of Argentine victims of the war.

The current Argentine government found that such an accord was detrimental to the South American country's claims.