Britain’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has hit back at Argentina after it rejected a co-operation pact and demanded fresh talks over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.
The diplomatic row erupted on Thursday after Buenos Aires walked away from a deal that would have meant closer ties with the UK on energy, shipping and fishing. The identification of the remains of unknown Argentine soldiers killed in the Falklands War of 1982 was also expected to be listed as an area of co-operation in the agreement.
The groundwork for the deal was laid in 2016 when both parties agreed to disagree about the sovereignty of the remote South Atlantic archipelago.
The collection of hundreds of islands and islets, known as the Malvinas in Spanish, has for decades been the source of disagreement between the UK and Argentina.
When the South American nation invaded the islands in April 1982 it sparked a brutal war with the UK. Hundreds of servicemen on both sides were killed and injured before Britain drove out the invading force with a naval armada.
At G20 talks in New Delhi, Argentinian Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero informed his UK counterpart Mr Cleverly that his government was abandoning the pact.
Mr Cafiero took to Twitter to explain his move in a series of posts that included a photo of his meeting with Mr Cleverly.
“Malvinas issue: Argentina notified the decision to put an end to the ‘Foradori-Duncan Pact’ of 2016”, he said.
He renewed Argentina's long-standing demands instead for negotiations about sovereignty of the islands at the UN in New York.
“The Falkland Islands are British”, Mr Cleverly retorted on Twitter, over Mr Cafiero's thread.
“Islanders have the right to decide their own future — they have chosen to remain a self-governing UK Overseas Territory”, he added.
The decision was announced just as Britain's minister for the Americas, David Rutley, was visiting Buenos Aires for what he called “productive” meetings.
“Argentina has chosen to step away from an agreement that has brought comfort to the families of those who died in the 1982 conflict”, Mr Rutley tweeted, calling the decision “disappointing”.
“Argentina, the UK and the Falklands all benefited from this agreement”, he said.
Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman told reporters: “It’s disappointing that Argentina has stepped away from the 2016 agreement that benefits the UK, Argentina and the Falkland Islands.”
“We remain in no doubt about the sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and surrounding areas”, he added. “We will continue to defend the right of self-determination for the Falkland Islanders. And you’ll remember that in 2013 they voted to remain as part of the UK [as an] overseas territory by a margin of 99.8 per cent.”
Both countries last year marked the 40th anniversary of the conflict, which claimed the lives of 649 Argentinian soldiers, 255 British servicemen, and three women who lived on the island.
