By Facundo Rodriguez (*) - It's now been three years since the British and Argentine governments signed the Foradori-Duncan agreement and committed to taking “appropriate measures to remove all obstacles limiting the economic growth and sustainable development” of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands.
Argentine foreign minister Jorge Faurie described the authorization for a regular weekly flight between Sao Paulo, Brazil and the Falkland Islands, with a monthly stopover in Cordoba, as “something very positive”, which has the purpose of “building bridges and creating trust for sovereignty negotiations”
British Prime Minister Theresa May is arriving Thursday evening at the Ezeiza Airport to participate in the G20 Leaders Summit hosted by Argentina, during which she will hold a series of bilateral meetings with some of her peers, including President Mauricio Macri.
Foreign Office minister for the Americas, Sir Alan Duncan praised as historic the UK/Argentina agreement on a second commerical flight between the Falklands and the region.
The second commercial flight from the Falkland Islands to a third country in the region with a stopover in an Argentine airport has been agreed, according to reports in Ambito Financiero, a Buenos Aires financial daily.
Earlier this week Mercopress announced that a delegation from the Falkland Islands will be joining the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Argentina next week to discuss fisheries data exchange. This announcement comes shortly after a successful visit to the Brussels Seafood Show, where the important access of continued market access post-Brexit was discussed with partners by Falkland Islands fishing companies.
Next Monday, 14 May 2018 four representatives from the Falkland Islands Government’s Natural Resources Department will be part of a UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office lead delegation meeting with the Government of Argentina, in Buenos Aires, to begin two days of discussions on fish and squid stocks in the South Atlantic, and the possibility of resuming the exchange of scientific fisheries data for the benefit of the region.
Argentine foreign minister Jorge Faurie is expected this Wednesday in Congress to outline president Macri administration's current policy towards the Falkland Islands, mainly negotiations on air links and South Atlantic fisheries conservation.
British Chancellor Philip Hammond and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson are scheduled to visit Argentina as part of the G20 ministerial round of meetings in coming weeks, announced UK ambassador Mark Kent following talks on Thursday with foreign minister Jorge Faurie.
Exchanges of information between the Falkland Islands and Argentina about fish and squid stocks could begin again before the middle of this year, if all parties are in agreement. Director of Natural Resources John Barton said: “Dialogue with Argentina on the conservation of shared marine resources has the potential to allow for better management of shared fish stocks and improve sustainability of such stocks.”