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The Islas Malvinas, or more commonly known as the Falkland Islands, archipelago was invaded by the United Kingdom in 1833 and its occupation has continued to date. Argentina’s claim for sovereignty through diplomatic means has been a state policy since the failed liberation attempt through military means in 1982. Although it lost intensity during the Mauricio Macri government, President Alberto Fernández of the leftist Justicialist Party, reinforced in October his commitment to “renew the claim of sovereignty” of the 750 islands of the archipelago. In a patriotic tone, the then presidential candidate criticized the relations Macri had with the United Kingdom during a debate that took place on October 13.
“In these years the government has been very busy doing business with the United Kingdom and has forgotten sovereignty [over] the Falklands. Over 700 soldiers have died there. In memory of them all I will make things different,” Fernández said during the first Argentine presidential debate.
Fernández will re-establish a Secretariat for the Malvinas, demonstrating that he is taking the issue against the British very seriously. During his swearing in speech before the National Congress on December 10, the new president informed that he will create a Secretariat, with the participation of “all political forces,” the southern province of Tierra del Fuego that is closest to the Malvinas, representatives of the academic world and former fighters of the 1982 war, to concentrate on the reclamation of the occupied archipelago.
Fernández included the claim by the Falkland Islands in his speech when he assumed the presidency and said “there is no more place for colonialism in the 21st century.”
“We know that for this task it does not reach the mandate of a Government, but a medium and long-term State policy, so I will convene a Congress where all political forces participate,” he announced.
Fernández decision to re-establish the Malvinas Secretariat and to convene a Council on the subject restores confidence and firmness in Argentina’s demand against the British after complete servitude by Macri. The importance the new president has given to Argentina’s demand for sovereignty over the islands is a good sign and it is the first time a new president has spoken with such depth to the Malvinas issue when they first take office.
Fernández’s stance demonstrates that the Malvinas do not belong to any president, they are a state matter in which it is necessary to work as a state policy for not only the present, but also looking to the future. The establishment of the Secretariat is aimed to positively re-establish consensus on the basic of and essential demand for sovereignty, leaving the differing approaches in Argentina to the cause and the 1982 war conflict in the past with the aim of looking only towards the future.
It must be remembered that a new Sao Paulo-Malvinas flight opened on Argentine National Sovereignty Day on November 20, a massive slap in the face to the Argentinian veterans from the 1982 war, who did not hesitate to go out protest. LATAM inaugurated the flight which has a stop in the Argentine city of Córdoba. War veterans protested in front of the Foreign Ministry in Buenos Aires against what they described as treachery by Macri. Fernández has an opportunity to gain even more popular support by forcing the cancellation of flights by LATAM to the Malvinas and by ensuring the islands have no lifeline except with their colonial masters in London approximately 13,000 kilometers away.
Conservative Boris Johnson won the British election on December 12, which put the South American islanders on alert. The possibility of the definitive implementation of Brexit will harm the local economy, whose production has the European Union as one of its main markets. Brexit is a favorable situation for Argentina because in the view of the European Union, the Malvinas are an extracontinental territory, something that will complicate the local economy, just as what will happen with British-occupied Gibraltar on the Iberian Peninsula and areas in Cyprus.
In this context Argentina must start seeking new alliances with European countries and condemn the maintenance of a British colony on the complete opposite side of the Atlantic and with total impunity. With Spain wanting the return of Gibraltar and Cyprus wanting the return of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, Argentina can very easily find new allies in the European Union willing to cooperate efforts to reclaim sovereignty over territory occupied by the British. Brexit therefore not only threatens the breakup of the United Kingdom with a push for Scottish independence and Irish unification, but it could potentially see the return of the Malvinas to Argentina.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
“The Islas Malvinas, or more commonly known as the Falkland Islands…”
In Britain.
The Malvinas are Argentinian territory. After Brexit – Malvinexit, please!
The Falkland Islands never belonged to Argentina. They were uninhabited islands when they were first discovered by French fishermen who had a very small fishery settlement there. The fishermen were from St. Malo. They were malouines, hence, the name Malvinas. The islands were occupied by the Spanish and later handed over to Britain BEFORE Argentina became a country. What is now Argentina did not exist as a nation. It was merely a part of a Spanish viceroyalty. “Viceroyalty of Peru, Spanish Virreinato de Peru, the second of the four viceroyalties that Spain created to govern its domains in the Americas.… Read more »
These islands lie close to Argentina. They are Argentine territory, usurped by invaders from colonial Europe.
All of the indigenous peoples in the whole of the Americas from the Arctic to Tierra del Fuego were usurped by invaders from colonial Europe!
Of course they were usurped by invaders but it does not mean that the usurpers have a right of claiming this land their own. They are robbers. Go home, robbers, where you came from!
The Malvinas were not uninhabited. We had a colony there since 1820. The first governor was appointed in 1823 and it was raised to a Comandancia in 1829. Matilde Vernet y Sáez, the daughter of Luis Vernet, the governor, was the first person to be born on the islands. It was in 1832 that the settlement was gunned down by the USS Lexington, to exempt some whalers of paying taxes to Argentina. Once the defenses were weak, the british pirates of the HMS Clio occupied the islands on January 2, 1833. By the time Argentina became independent, the islands were… Read more »
Thank you for this excellent comment, Sebastian. It is about time to set the records straight, with all of these British and US colonialists spewing their colonial hate here. The Malwinas are Argentinian territory. Basta!
Britain would go to war with them
again before allowing them to have control over the Falklands
In 2013 Falkland islanders were given the opportunity to vote on this. 99.8 percent of islanders voted in favor of remaining a British Overseas Territory in the two-day poll. Their home, their choice.
The British settlers are intruders on Argentinian territory. Of course they want to justify their intrusion by a vote. The result shows that no Argentinians dare living there or want to live there, next to British neighbours. Wno would want to live with British people. I sure would not.
The Falklands were inhabited by the British BEFORE Argentina became a country so they cannot possibly belong to Argentina. They were uninhabited when the British arrived so no indigenous population was displaced. The language of the Falklands is English, not Spanish. And why do Argentinians speak Spanish? This is a case of a Spanish colony claiming a British colony. Maybe Argentina should simply hand the land it occupies back to the indigenous peoples of Argentina – the Mapuche, Kolla, Qom/Toba, Wichi, Diaguita, Ava, Mocovi, Huarpe, and others. Would that be okay? Britain wouldn’t have to hand back the Falklands to… Read more »
You should really learn the history of the place before commenting.
Yes, he should. But as we all know, the English speaking world thinks they own the whole globe, and they like to write their own history.
This isn’t meant to be a derogatory post but a question, can the British Militaraly and logistically mount such a far off campaign in its present state with its current budget? Landing ships, air cover, etc
after the last shameful expedition, this one could help Britain save face if PM Boris revamps the armed services so it might deliver a crushing success.
I hope not. The British should spend their money at home, on the British Isles, where they belong. But as we all know “the sun never sets over British stupidity”.
Let’s hope they at least manage to get BREXIT now. This is of vital importance to them, not occupying the far away Malwinas.