MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

British ambassador calls Bolivia's Falklands/Malvinas support for Argentina “unacceptable”

Porter recorded a video outside Bolivia's Foreign Ministry building in which he declared that “the Falkland Islands are British, their sovereignty is not in question” and cited the 2013 referendum

Argentina on Friday thanked Bolivia for its support on the Falklands/Malvinas sovereignty claim and called “unfortunate” the remarks by the British ambassador in La Paz, Richard Porter, who branded the Bolivian position “deeply disappointing and unacceptable.”

The diplomatic row began Wednesday, when Bolivia's Vice Foreign Minister, Carlos Paz Ide, attended a ceremony at the Plaza General San Martín in La Paz marking the Day of the Veteran and the Fallen in the Falklands/Malvinas War, organized by the Argentine Embassy. Paz Ide stated that “the Falklands/Malvinas cause does not belong only to Argentina but also constitutes a regional cause,” according to a Bolivian Foreign Ministry communiqué.

The British response was swift. On Thursday, Porter recorded a video outside Bolivia's Foreign Ministry building in which he declared that “the Falkland Islands are British, their sovereignty is not in question” and cited the 2013 referendum, in which 99.8% of the islanders voted to remain a British territory. He described Bolivia's declaration as “a deeply disappointing and unacceptable intervention in the sovereign affairs of the United Kingdom.”

Mensaje importante del Embajador Británico, Richard Porter @AmbRichPorter @falklandsgov @fiassembly @GHFalklands @Colin_M_R @sdoughtyMP @LukePollard#FalklandIslands #IslasFalkland #SelfDetermination #Democracy #RuleOfLaw #UNCharter #UKOverseasTerritories #UKDiplomacy #FCDO pic.twitter.com/Xiz4TV7ZI5

— UK in Bolivia   (@UKinBolivia) April 2, 2026

Bolivia fired back, rejecting “any interpretation that seeks to characterize its positions as interference in the internal affairs of other states” and urged diplomatic missions to use “the appropriate institutional channels,” avoiding mechanisms that could hinder dialogue, as reported by EFE.

Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno wrote on social media that “Argentina is grateful for Bolivia's firm support and, in light of the United Kingdom's recent statements, reaffirms its legitimate and imprescriptible sovereignty rights over the Falklands/Malvinas, South Georgia, the South Sandwich Islands and surrounding maritime areas.” In a separate communiqué, the Argentine Foreign Ministry argued that the self-determination principle invoked by London does not apply to the case, as no UN General Assembly resolution or its Special Committee on Decolonization contemplates it for the Falklands/Malvinas. Buenos Aires maintained that there is no colonized people entitled to determine their status, but rather “a population settled by the occupying power” after the expulsion of Argentine authorities in 1833.

Argentina reiterated its willingness to resume bilateral negotiations with the United Kingdom in accordance with UN General Assembly Resolution 2065. Bolivia, for its part, has historically supported the Argentine claim regardless of the political orientation of its governments.