The British government affirmed its adherence to the Falkland Islands, which are disputed with Argentina, in response to Buenos Aires’ announcement of its withdrawal from a bilateral cooperation agreement on the archipelago, in a move that would fuel tensions between the two countries.
Argentina confirmed its withdrawal from the agreement it had with Britain regarding the Falkland Islands, calling for the start of new talks to arrange the issue of sovereignty.
These islands, which are under British administration and are called “Malvinas” in the Spanish language, were the reason behind a fierce short-term war decades ago, when Argentina invaded those islands in 1982.
At that time, Britain was able to tip its hand in the conflict, so it sent a naval fleet that was able to expel the Argentine army, which made tension hang over the relationship between the two countries for decades.
In 2016, the two countries agreed to cooperate in files such as energy and fishing, in addition to searching for the remains of Argentine soldiers who died in the battle, but the dispute remained between them regarding sovereignty over the islands.
But at the G-20 summit in New Delhi, Argentina’s foreign minister, Santiago Cafiero, told his British counterpart, James Cleverly, that Buenos Aires had withdrawn from the agreement.
In a series of tweets, the Argentine minister stressed his country’s position on the islands.
But London’s response was also clear, and the British Foreign Minister said that the Falkland Islands are British, indicating that London is not ready to give them up.
He added that the islanders enjoy the right to self-determination in the future, and therefore chose to remain as a region belonging to Britain within the framework of self-rule, according to what was reported by the “Street Times” website.
