Last night, at Tecnópolis, the perfect place to showcase the substantial scientific activity being carried out by Argentina on the White Continent, an event was held to commemorate Argentine Antarctica Day, during which federal government authorities held a video-conference with the personnel working at the six permanent Argentine stations in Antarctica.
The event was presided over by the Ministers of Defence, Agustín Rossi, and Culture, Tristán Bauer, and by the Secretary for the Malvinas, Antarctica and South Atlantic, Daniel Filmus.
The event was also attended by the Legal and Technical Secretary, Vilma Ibarra; the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces, Major General Juan Martín Paleo; the Deputy Foreign Minister, Pablo Tettamanti; the National Director for Antarctica, Patricia Ortúzar; members of the National Congress; authorities of the Armed Forces, the Antarctic Joint Command and the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat, and representatives of the foreign diplomatic corps.
Filmus stated that: “We are immensely proud of these 117 years of uninterrupted presence in Antarctica, and 2021 is a really special year, as it marks the 70th anniversary of the creation of the Argentine Antarctic Institute, which was the first Antarctic institute in the world, established with a strategic and forward-looking vision.
This year also marks the 60th anniversary of the entry into force of the Antarctic Treaty, and the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty.”
“Antarctica is a legacy we must leave to the future of humankind. We would also like to underscore the work carried out by of the Armed Forces that allows our scientists to be there. We will be forever thankful for that,” he stated.
Rossi, for his part, highlighted that “this year marks the 117th year of uninterrupted presence of Argentina in Antarctica, which has always been a strategic goal from the standpoint of our sovereignty and the defence policy of our country.” Rossi also valued “the great efforts made during this Summer Antarctic Campaign, in the context of a pandemic that required development and implementation of a strict protocol to protect the health of all military and scientific personnel.”
Bauer stated that: “Commemorating Argentine Antarctica Day is continuing to work for the defence of our sovereignty and rights. For 117 years our country has been uninterruptedly present in that territory, building science and knowledge for all of the world. We thank the men and women that have been protecting our sovereignty in Antarctica since 1904. This is a reason to celebrate and to keep building a national and sovereign culture going forward.”
The authorities present also highlighted the key role of science in Argentine Antarctic activity through the work of the Argentine Antarctic Institute (IAA), the world’s first institute exclusively dedicated to Antarctic science, which was created in 1951, this year marking its 70th anniversary.
Filmus, Rossi and Bauer spoke with the scientific and military chiefs of the six permanent Argentine stations in Antarctica: Belgrano II, Carlini, Esperanza, Marambio, San Martín and Orcadas, and the Icebreaker ARA “Almirante Irízar”, which is in Ushuaia during the Summer Antarctic Campaign. The event ended with a musical show by artists Bruno Arias and Liliana Herrero.
On 22 February 1904, Argentina took possession and raised the Argentine flag in the Meteorology and Magnetic Observatory on Laurie Island, South Orkney Islands (currently called “Orcadas Station”), and established the first Post Office, which was the first permanent facility of a country in Antarctica, and the only one for the following 40 years. Since then, Argentina has been the country with the longest permanent, continuous and uninterrupted presence on the White Continent, paving the way for an era of expeditions that allowed the creation of Antarctic stations, the conduct of Argentine scientific activity and the consolidation of our presence in Antarctica, which is a State policy.
Ever since the signing of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959, Argentina has strengthened its role as a key actor in this international convention providing that Antarctica is to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes and for international cooperation and that in Article IV duly safeguards the assertion of Argentine sovereignty over the Argentine Antarctic Sector.
Within the context of the Antarctic Treaty System, Argentina cooperates and makes essential contributions to the protection of the Antarctic environment by means of its scientific activity, which is a core focus of our activity in Antarctica. An example of this is the proposal put forward by Argentina and Chile in the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCRVMA) for the creation of a Protected Maritime Area in the western zone of the Antarctic Peninsula. Buenos Aires has been the seat of the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat since 2004, which is a source of pride for all Argentines.
