World
Argentina Responds at the UN to Britain’s Defense of the Falklands and Calls for Dialogue to Resume
Pablo Quirno rejected the position set out by the British prime minister before the General Assembly and again raised the existence of a sovereignty dispute. He also called for bilateral negotiations to resume.
Argentina’s Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno responded before the United Nations General Assembly to remarks by British Prime Minister Andy Burnham about the Falkland Islands. According to Todo Noticias, the official said the islands, together with South Georgia, South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas, are part of Argentine territory and are under British occupation.
Burnham had told the leaders gathered in New York that the United Kingdom will stand firm against any threat to British territories and will defend the right of the islanders to remain British. In response, Quirno stressed that there is a sovereignty dispute recognized by the United Nations and other international organizations.
According to Todo Noticias, the foreign minister placed the origin of the conflict in 1833, when British forces occupied the islands, expelled the Argentine authorities and population established there, and replaced them with British subjects. He also noted that Argentina never consented to that situation and has maintained diplomatic protests ever since.
Quirno recalled that the UN General Assembly recognized the controversy and urged the two countries to resume negotiations to reach a peaceful and lasting solution. He also noted that the Special Committee on Decolonization again spoke out in the same sense in June of this year.
In that context, the foreign minister reiterated Argentina’s willingness to resume substantive bilateral negotiations with the United Kingdom and called on London to comply with its obligations regarding decolonization. He also stressed that, while the dispute remains unresolved, the parties must refrain from introducing unilateral changes, according to Clarín.
Todo Noticias added that Burnham framed his reference to the Falklands within a broader speech on security and defense, in which he anticipated that his government would continue investing in that area, although he clarified that he does not seek confrontation.
According to Clarín, the Argentine reaction also came after the five-year extension, with an option for two more, of offshore hydrocarbon exploration licenses granted by the islands’ government, a measure backed by the United Kingdom. That outlet said the Foreign Ministry had already filed a protest note with the British embassy, considering that those actions violate UN resolutions and international law.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not do its own reporting on this event.
