Argentina wants to resume talks with UK on Falkland Islands
Photo: Argentina offers to UK negotiations on the status of the Falkland Islands (cancilleria.gob.ar)
The government of Argentina has expressed its readiness to resume bilateral negotiations with the United Kingdom to address the issue of the Falkland Islands, which Buenos Aires considers its own, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Argentina.
The archipelago, with a total area of 12,173 square kilometers, is located in the South Atlantic near the southeast coast of South America. Argentina regards it as territory illegally occupied by the UK for 191 years.
On January 3, Argentina confirmed its intention to restore sovereignty over the islands, intending to achieve this through diplomatic means, which the country believes is the "only possible way to restore the exercise of its rights."
Argentina also reaffirms its "interest in the Good Offices mission," assigned by the UN General Assembly to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, to assist the parties in resuming negotiations "to find as soon as possible a peaceful solution to the sovereignty dispute relating to the Question of the Malvinas Islands."
"The government and people of Argentina once again reaffirm, 191 years after the illegal occupation of the Malvinas Islands, their lawful and indefeasible sovereignty rights over the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands and their adjacent maritime areas," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The country's foreign policy department noted that the government " expresses its willingness to resume bilateral negotiations" to find a solution to the sovereignty dispute over the islands in accordance with UN General Assembly resolutions.
"Within this framework, the Argentine Government wishes to maintain a mature relationship with the United Kingdom that involves substantive and constructive dialogue on all matters of mutual interest with a view to building a climate of trust conducive to the resumption of negotiations," the ministry conveyed.
Falkland (Malvinas) islands: Historical context
The Falkland Islands were occupied by the United Kingdom in January 1833. In April 1982, Argentina attempted to reclaim the territories by force, prompting corresponding actions from London. The defeat in the Falklands War led to the fall of the military junta in Argentina.
Nevertheless, all governments of Argentina have reaffirmed their sovereignty rights over the Malvinas, South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands and adjacent maritime areas. This goal is enshrined in the country's constitution.
It is worth noting that according to scientists' estimates, there may be a large oil basin beneath the waters of the Falkland Islands, which the Argentinians call the Malvinas. In 2010, the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized the intentions of a British oil extraction company for geological exploration in this region and warned of sanctions.
