The United Kingdom and British Overseas Territories have agreed to work together to counter hostile sovereignty claims and defend the right to self determination, according to a communiqué issued by the Joint Ministerial Council meeting in London which also touches upon the EU Referendum, tax and banking.
The Falkland Islands are very pleased with their current political and democratic status based on the UN charter and confirmed in the 2013 referendum, enjoy a prosperous economy with emphasis on social policies and environment conservation and have good neighborly relations with nearby countries, except for Argentina that “continues to ignore our people's right to self-determination and covet our territory”.
The UN Decolonisation Committee has not received any further requests on the Falklands/Malvinas issue, and “there is no such procedure as self-determination regarding the Islands dispute”, according to the C24 president Diego Morejón Pazmiño, standing Ecuadorean ambassador before the UN.
A day after Argentine President Cristina Fernández sent an open letter to be published as an advert in several UK newspapers calling on PM David Cameron’s government to re-open negotiations over the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, the UK responded: “the Islanders remain free to choose their own futures.”
The opening session of the UN Fourth Committee on decolonisation was dominated by a joint verbal assault on Britain by South American countries over the issue of the Falkland Islands. One after another, representatives of governments in the region called on the UK to enter into dialogue with Argentina over the sovereignty of the Islands, which are claimed by the government in Buenos Aires.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron said on Thursday no one should doubt his determination to keep the Falkland Islands British as he dismissed President Cristina Fernández announced complaint to the United Nations.
There was considerable anticipation and speculation in the Falkland Islands on Tuesday as residents and visitors alike waited to hear Argentine president Cristina Kirchner’s much-publicized evening announcement.
Defining the future relationship of Overseas Territories with the European Union (EU) was the purpose of the ninth annual Overseas Countries and Territories of the European Union Forum, held earlier this month in the Pacific state of New Caledonia and attended by Legislative Assembly Member Roger Edwards, Michael Poole of FIG and the Falklands UK representative Sukey Cameron.