In New York, the Foreign Minister stressed that Argentina's claim does not preclude cooperation and progress on issues of shared interest by both countries.
In a session on the Malvinas Question, attended by an Argentine delegation headed by Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie, the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization approved by consensus a new resolution calling on Argentina and the United Kingdom to resume bilateral negotiations in order to resolve the sovereignty dispute.
"Argentina is certain of its sovereignty over the Malvinas, South Georgias and South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas, which is why our claim to resume negotiations is unrenounceable" Faurie stated this morning in New York. "186 years have passed since the beginning of the illegal occupation of the Islands by the United Kingdom, and almost 54 since the United Nations, through resolution 2065 (XX), requested Argentina and the United Kingdom to reach a negotiated solution that takes into account the interests of the population of the islands," the Foreign Minister stated, and reiterated that "the passing of time has not affected the validity of our claim or our firm belief that this protracted sovereignty dispute must come to a peaceful end through bilateral negotiations between Argentina and the United Kingdom," a conviction that, he stressed, "is shared by the entire Argentine people and is enshrined in the Argentine Constitution."
At the United Nations headquarters, the Argentine Foreign Minister noted that "several countries support the request and, through their participation in multilateral fora such as OAS, MERCOSUR, CELAC, G77+China and Ibero-American Summits, have repeatedly expressed their support for the resumption of negotiations between Argentina and the United Kingdom so as to find a fair and permanent solution to this dispute," he added.
"This issue goes beyond political and partisan differences, it is a State policy," the Foreign Minister stated, and highlighted the composition of the delegation he headed, comprised of senators Federico Pinedo and Julio Cobos, congresspersons Cornelia Schmidt Liermann and Daniel Filmus, the Deputy Governor of Tierra del Fuego, Juan Carlos Arcando, the secretary of State for the Malvinas Question in Tierra del Fuego, Jorge Argüello , and the Ambassador to the United Nations, Martín García Moritán.
During his address, Faurie recalled that "the recent Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences of the Separation of Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 confirmed the customary nature of the principles enshrined in Resolution 1514 (XV) and reaffirmed the crucial role of the General Assembly and this Committee as the guiding and supervisory body in the process of decolonization."
He explained that the Advisory Opinion contains conclusions highly relevant to the Malvinas Question because it refers to a case of territorial dismemberment and involves principles which are essential to the Argentine claim, such as not consulting the population of a certain territory due to not considering it a "people" with the right to self-determination.
During the session of the Committee, before the adoption of the resolution submitted by Chile and co-sponsored by Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador and Nicaragua, the Argentine Foreign Minister stated that "the goal of fully recovering our sovereignty in accordance with international law and respecting the way of life of the islanders is unrenounceable," and stressed that "Argentina has a constructive attitude with respect to the inhabitants of Malvinas, taking their interests into consideration, pursuant to the Argentine Constitution and Resolution 2065 (XX)."
The Foreign Minister highlighted the fact that the continuity of the sovereignty claim "does not keep us from cooperating in areas of shared interest for both countries while we pursue that goal" and that since President Macri took office, he has promoted a "renewed relation" with a "constructive approach". In this regard, he underscored the recent promotion of initiatives in the field of cooperation in the scientific and cultural fields; the coordination of multilateral positions in terms of human rights, the fight against terrorism and environmental issues, and the resumption of scientific work in relation to fisheries, promoted by the wish to preserve natural resources in the South Atlantic.
The Argentine Foreign Minister highlighted the agreement reached with a view to establishing an additional weekly flight from São Paulo, Brazil, with two monthly stops in the city of Córdoba. "We hope this will be the starting point for the establishment of future connections and closer ties between the inhabitants of the Islands and the Argentine mainland," he stated.
In addition, the Foreign Minister recalled the fact that "there have been reciprocal visits by high authorities from both countries, as well as trade and business missions," such as the visit to Buenos Aires by the former British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Boris Johnson, in 2018; the visit to London by the Chief of Cabinet of Ministers, Marcos Peña; the meeting between Faurie and his counterpart, Jeremy Hunt; or the meeting between President Macri and Theresa May during the G20 Leaders' Summit, which was the first visit of a British Prime Minister to Buenos Aires."
"We firmly believe in the value of sitting around a table to analyse and debate all differences in a constructive way," stated Faurie. He "proudly" highlighted the fact that "within the context of our new atmosphere of trust, the important humanitarian task of identifying unknown Argentine soldiers buried at the Darwin cemetery in the Malvinas Islands was carried out, with the help of the Committee of the Red Cross." That work has allowed 113 families, out of a total of 122, whose loved ones laid in unnamed graves, to finally pay homage to them at their final resting place. As in 2018, a group of family members travelled this year to the Islands and were received by the inhabitants with the same respect and willingness as those who travelled last year, for which we are deeply thankful."
"Argentina ratifies its commitment to peaceful dispute settlement, multilateralism and a rules-based international order," stated Faurie. He closed his address by urging the United Kingdom "to make that commitment by complying with its obligations in terms of decolonization, reflected in the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and this Committee."
After speeches had concluded and the resolution had been unanimously passed, Faurie praised “the efforts made for decades by the Decolonization Committee to eradicate colonialism” and deeply thanked all the delegations that supported the resolution, which renews the historical call by the United Nations to "resume negotiations and find a peaceful solution to the sovereignty dispute as soon as possible".
