MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falkland Islanders urge Canada to back their self-determination at the OAS assembly

The British Overseas Territory, located in the South Atlantic, is claimed by Argentina, which occupied it for ten weeks in 1982 before being driven out by a British naval task force

The Falkland Islands Government has called on Canada to use the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), held this week in Panama, to publicly support the Islanders' right to self-determination. Last week, two members of the archipelago's Legislative Assembly traveled to Ottawa to meet with Global Affairs officials, members of parliament and senators, in search of support.

The British Overseas Territory, located in the South Atlantic, is claimed by Argentina, which occupied it for ten weeks in 1982 before being driven out by a British naval task force. The United Kingdom considers the archipelago sovereign territory, a position backed by its residents, who in a 2013 referendum voted overwhelmingly —99.8% with a 92% turnout— to remain a British Overseas Territory. Argentina, which calls the archipelago the Islas Malvinas, bases its claim on its succession to Spanish sovereignty and regards the United Kingdom as a colonial power.

The lawmakers noted that Canada had defended the self-determination of Greenland and Ukraine, and recalled that in 2017 it last expressed explicit backing for the Islanders. MLA Michael Goss described the conversations in Ottawa as “productive and respectful” and said his delegation had asked Canada to speak out in favor of their self-determination, including at the OAS. MLA Dorothy Gould said the Islands had contracted an Israeli company to explore their oil reserves and expressed a wish to develop trade ties with Canada.

The request, however, runs up against Canada's position. A Global Affairs Canada spokesperson, Thida Ith, said the country “plans to join the consensus on the OAS General Assembly Declaration on the Question of the Malvinas Islands, as it has done since 2018,” and that it “maintains a neutral position” on the territorial dispute. The OAS adopts by acclamation each year a declaration reaffirming the need for Argentina and the United Kingdom to resume sovereignty negotiations; the 2025 one was unanimous.

The United Kingdom, which handles the archipelago's defense and foreign affairs, reiterated its support for the Islanders' self-determination. Its high commissioner in Ottawa, Rob Tinline, said London would “never negotiate away” that right and had “no doubt about its sovereignty.” Canada, for its part, is seeking closer ties with Argentina: it is a major investor in its mining sector and is negotiating a free-trade agreement with Mercosur, while Prime Minister Mark Carney has been in contact with President Javier Milei, who holds that “the Malvinas were, are, and will always be Argentine.” The United States maintains a neutral stance: in April, Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged the British “de facto” administration of the Islands, without taking a position on the sovereignty claims.