MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine Patagonia national park will twin with a Welsh similar of Snowdonia

Eryri, is a national park mountainous region in North Wales with all 15 mountains over 3000 feet high, including Snowdon, which is 1,085 metres tall

A popular national park in Wales will be twinning with one in Argentine Patagonia this months in the midst of the international controversy eruption between Argentina, Falkland Islands and garrulous president Donald Trump.

According to Welsh media Snowdonia will pair up with Los Alerces, 8,000 miles away in the Andes, at an event on September 26. It will mark 75 years since the land, known in Welsh as Eryri, was declared a national park.

Eryri’s Ioan Gwilym said the formal signing of the Los Alerces link will be “a really important part of the celebrations”. However it comes as Argentine leader Javier Milei steps up his country’s claim to the Falklands, which were reclaimed by British forces in 1982.

Shadow cabinet office Minister Mike Wood told The Sun on Sunday: “British troops – including from Wales – risked their lives taking back the Falklands from Argentina, and many died.

“In light of Argentina making louder and louder claims to ownership of the Islands, it is strange that Snowdonia is set to be twinned with Los Alerces at this time.

“The area has historical links to Wales which should be recognized, but the more recent history of armed conflict between Britain and Argentina must be borne in mind at a time of diplomatic tension.”

In 2013 the territory held a referendum during which 99.8 per cent supported remaining British.

The 10-week conflict in 1982 led to the deaths of 655 Argentine and 255 British service personnel, as well as three civilians.

In 2009 the seaside community of Aberystwyth twinned with the Argentine town of Esquel in Patagonia. Eryri National Park was previously twinned with Triglav National park in Slovenia in 1993.

Eryri, is a mountainous region and national park in North Wales. It contains all 15 mountains in Wales over 3000 feet high, including the country's highest, Snowdon, which is 1,085 meters tall. These peaks are all part of the Snowdon, Glyderau, and Carneddau ranges in the north of the region. 

Los Alerces National Park is located in the Andes in Chubut Province in the Patagonian region of Argentina. Its western boundary coincides with the Chilean border. Successive glaciations have molded the landscape in the region creating spectacular features such as moraines, glacial cirques and clear-water lakes.

Besides, the Alerces National Park is close to the historic Welsh colony, not far from Trevelin, Gaiman and Esquel, in the Patagonian province of Chubut. The Welsh colony known as Y Wladfa was established in July 1865, having arrived in the ship Mimosa. The pioneers aimed to protect their Welsh language and culture from English dominance.