05 June 2018

Información para la Prensa N°: 240/18

In Washington, Foreign Minister Faurie ratified Argentina's sovereignty claim in the context of a new stage in the relationship with the United Kingdom

Today, the OAS General Assembly being held in Washington D.C. adopted by acclamation a new Declaration on the Question of the Malvinas Islands, stating that Argentina's claim is "a matter of enduring hemispheric concern."

After Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie's speech, the statement was submitted by Brazil. The Declaration adopted reaffirms "the need for the Governments of the Argentine Republic and the United Kingdom to resume, as soon as possible, negotiations on the sovereignty dispute, in order to find a peaceful solution to this protracted controversy."

Before the plenary of Ministers and Delegates, the Foreign Minister stressed that the OAS "is aware of the historic and legal background underpinning our rights."  He also reiterated that "the passing of time has not affected the validity of our claim or our firm belief that this protracted sovereignty claim must come to an end and, for that purpose, it is paramount that we resume negotiations in a constructive and positive spirit."

Faurie noted that "the Question of the Malvinas Islands was, is and will be an issue of great importance to the entire Argentine people."

"The Argentine Constitution provides that recovering such territories and full sovereignty over them, while respecting the lifestyle of the islanders and in accordance with international law principles, is a permanent and unrenounceable goal of the Argentine people. This goal remains valid regardless of governments and amounts to a real State policy on which all Argentine political forces agree," the Foreign Minister stated.

"President Macri has ushered in a new phase incorporating into the bilateral relationship with the United Kingdom initiatives such as scientific and cultural cooperation projects, cooperation in Antarctic matters, coordination at the multilateral level and trade and business missions, in addition to the defence of sovereignty issues," Faurie stated.

Within the framework of this new stage in the bilateral relationship, the Argentine Foreign Minister especially underscored the work of the two governments carried out with the support of the International Red Cross and the Argentine Team of Forensic Anthropology in relation to the recent identification of the Argentine soldiers buried at Darwin Cemetery, on the Malvinas Islands. "This is an issue of great importance to the Argentine people and especially to the families of the fallen soldiers," Faurie noted.

The Minister also stressed that the two Governments share "the belief that our different position regarding the Question of the Malvinas cannot and must not interfere in the development of a broad and positive bilateral agenda," including initiatives relating to the preservation of natural resources in the South Atlantic and other initiatives to facilitate greater air links between the Islands and the Argentine mainland, thus contributing to forging bonds and building trust with the islanders.

"Our region must continue to be a peaceful zone of dialogue among nations. This is the wish of Argentina, shared by all the countries represented here. This is why we advocate for the resolution of this unsolved sovereignty dispute in our region through dialogue. We are committed to and responsible for solving this in a peaceful manner, finding a permanent solution to the Question of the Malvinas," Faurie concluded.