UK and Argentina Clash over the Falkland Islands

At the United Nations’ session on September 20, Argentinean President Mauricio Macri began to backtrack on a recent statement claiming that British Prime Minister Theresa May was open to initiating a dialogue regarding the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.Both the British Foreign Office and Argentinean Foreign Affairs Minister Susana Malcorra corrected their claims that the British are open to discussing the sovereignty of the islands. Instead, both entities shifted the conversation, highlighting the economic development of the islands as the primary point of contention for all future deliberations. The claim came just days after the foreign offices agreed to cooperate over oil and fishing rights in the disputed territory, known as the Malvinas Islands in Argentina. Moving forward, the agreement to cooperate would likely involve the easing of sanctions put in place under former Argentinean President Cristina Kirchner, increased transport between the islands and Argentina, and the possible exploration for oil in the islands’ territorial waters. While tensions have eased since President Kirchner was replaced with the recently elected Macri, the Argentinean government maintains that the UK is illegally present on the islands. In fact, President Macri recently declared at the opening session of the United Nations that the Argentine claim is “permanent and non-negotiable.” On the other hand, the British point to a referendum

in which 98 percent of Falkland Islanders chose to remain a British Overseas Territory as proof that the inhabitants wish to maintain the status quo as well as argue that the right to self determination should be upheld. With the United Kingdom’s adamant emphasis of the British identity of both the islands and its population and Argentina’s belief that British sovereignty over the islands constitutes an illegal annexation, the future is unclear, as the status of the islands and its natural resources are likely to remain in dispute.