BUENOS AIRES.- The president of Argentina, Javier Mileyadmitted that the Falkland Islands are currently “in the hands of United Kingdom” and that “there is no instant solution” to recover them, he said in an interview with BBC.com.
The president also acknowledged that it could take “decades” to try to recover sovereignty of the Malvinas, but he made it clear that Argentina “does not seek conflict” with the United Kingdom.
The archipelago, located 400 kilometers from the Argentine coast and almost 13,000 km from the United Kingdom, was the scene of a 74-day war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982, which ended with the surrender of the South American country and a death toll of 649 Argentines. and 255 British dead.
The British Chancellor, David Cameronvisited the islands in February and stated that he hopes that this territory will want to remain under the administration of the United Kingdom “for a long time, possibly forever.”
“If that territory is now in the hands of the United Kingdom, it has the right to do so. I don’t see it as a provocation,” said Milei, when asked about it, in the interview published in English this Monday on the British media’s website.
His position differs from that of his predecessor, Alberto Fernandez (2019-2023), which in 2022 stated that “the Malvinas were, are and will be Argentine.”
Argentina claims that the islands, inherited from the Spanish crown after independence, were occupied by troops from the United Kingdom in 1833 and the Argentine governor and settlers were expelled to the mainland.
For its part, London points out that almost 100% of the 2,000 residents of the archipelago approved continuing under British control in a referendum held in 2013.
“We are not going to give up our sovereignty, “We are not even going to seek a conflict with the United Kingdom.”Milei declared, adding that this “will take time” and will involve a “long-term negotiation.”
“They may not want to negotiate today. They may want to do so later. Many positions have changed over time,” he said.
Praise for Thatcher
Milei once again dedicated some good words during this interview to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, under whose command London carried out the Falklands War, despite the fact that similar statements in the campaign already cost her criticism.
“Criticizing someone because of their nationality or race is very precarious in intellectual terms. I have listened to many speeches by Margaret Thatcher. She was brilliant. What is the problem?” he said.
At the beginning of April, Milei and Vice President Victoria Villarruel led an event in Plaza San Martín, in Buenos Aires, in commemoration of the Day of the Veteran and the Fallen in the Falklands War, on the 42nd anniversary of the war.
Source: With information from AFP / Europa Press
