Malvinas

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship, Diana Mondino, met with the UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, David Cameron, on the margins of the G20 Ministerial Meeting in Rio de Janeiro on 21 February 2024.

It was a constructive meeting, following the conversation held between President Milei and Foreign Secretary Cameron in Davos last January, during which they agreed to promote a new era of relations between Argentina and the UK. Within that context, Foreign Minister Mondino and Foreign Secretary Cameron agreed on the importance of enhancing cooperation on areas of mutual interest, such as economic and trade ties and youth mobility, among other academic and cultural exchanges, as well as multilateral affairs over which common priorities are shared.

Foreign Minister Mondino reiterated to her British counterpart Argentina's support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. In that regard, both sides agreed to stand united in continuing to condemn the Russian government’s actions, which are a serious violation of international law and the UN Charter.

With respect to the Question of the Malvinas Islands, Foreign Minister Mondino and Foreign Secretary Cameron acknowledged a disagreement. Foreign Minister Mondino conveyed her displeasure at his statements and his visit to the Malvinas Islands and reaffirmed the Argentine Republic's sovereignty rights in the Question of the Malvinas Islands, while reiterating Argentina's willingness to solve the dispute in accordance with the international community mandate. Nevertheless, they highlighted the importance of advancing cooperation on mutually beneficial areas.

Every 2 April, the people of Argentina pause to remember and honour their fellow countrymen who bravely gave their lives in defence of the Argentine sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands. It is also a day to honour those who fought and now carry on their bodies and minds the indelible marks left by the armed conflict. Argentina will forever owe the fallen, the veterans and their families a debt of gratitude, and we must continue to honour their memory and put the State’s effort into truly recognizing and addressing their needs.

One of the main ways to show recognition for their actions is certainly to continue to fight for the ideals for which they themselves fought and died: the constitutional mandate to recover, through dialogue and diplomacy, the stolen Argentine sovereignty over the Malvinas islands.

2 April must be a day of commemoration and tribute. But also a day of commitment. We must commit ourselves never to lower the flag of sovereignty for which our people fought, never to spill blood again for this fair claim, and to continue on the path of dialogue with the United Kingdom, taking into account the interests of the islanders, as established by the United Nations.

As enshrined in the Argentine Constitution: “The Argentine Nation ratifies its imprescriptible sovereignty over the Malvinas, South Georgias and South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime and insular areas (...) The recovery of those territories and the full exercise of sovereignty over them, while respecting the lifestyle of their inhabitants and in accordance with the principles of International Law, are a permanent and unrenounceable goal of the Argentine people.

Personal items connected with the South Atlantic conflict, donated by British war veteran Goodall

Today, at 4 p.m. a ceremony was held at Palacio San Martín during which Malvinas War veteran Alejandro Gorzelany was presented with various personal items connected with the South Atlantic conflict, donated by British war veteran Edward Goodall.

The ceremony was led by the Deputy Secretary for the Malvinas, Antarctic and South Atlantic, María Teresa Kralikas, who was also joined by the Secretary for Human Rights and Cultural Pluralism, Claudio Avruj and authorities from the Ministry of Defence, the British Embassy, representatives from organizations grouping the relatives of ex-soldiers, veterans themselves and the general public.

Goodall had come across a soldier’s helmet as a collector, and upon discovering the name Gorzelany on the inside, he used social media to make contact with and give the helmet back to its rightful owner, last October in Plymouth.

Following this cordial meeting, Goodall contacted the Embassy of Argentina in London, which received a number of gifts from him: his ceremonial sword from the Royal Navy, a plaque and a medal, which were today presented to his Argentine friend.

During the ceremony, Kralikas read fragments of the plaque that was presented, along with a sword, to the former Argentine soldier: “I present this sword to my good friend and brother in arms from the Malvinas, Alejandro Gorzelany, as a token of honour, respect, friendship and to celebrate his visit to Plymouth, England, between 11 and 13 October 2018”. The text went on to add that “Thirty six years after the end of hostilities, this helmet, which was found by a British soldier on the battlefields of the Malvinas, is hereby returned to the brave soldier who fought during the Malvinas War. From the misery and suffering of this war, God has built a bridge of friendship between us, our families and our countries”.

Kralikas said that the “two soldiers who found themselves on opposite sides in battle, are today standing side by side thanks to the contact they made to exchange these possessions”.

For the Foreign Ministry, this gesture, a testament to great humanity between fellow veterans, is a fine example of friendship and reconciliation. It represents brotherhood between members of the armed forces of both countries and reaffirms bilateral ties through the building of trust and reconciliation between our peoples.

Today, Argentina presented before the International Court of Justice its position with regard to the proceedings requesting an Advisory Opinion on the legal consequences of the Separation of Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965, in the public hearings taking place at The Hague, The Netherlands. The advisory opinion was requested by the United Nations General Assembly in Resolution 71/292 adopted in June 2017, which Argentina sponsored and voted in favour of.

Chagos Archipelago was part of the British crown colony Mauritius. In 1965, three years before Mauritius became independent, the United Kingdom decided to detach the Chagos Archipelago and leased it to the United States for the establishment of a military base, which is still operational. Population from the Archipelago was deported and to this day has not been allowed to return.

Participation in the proceedings gives Argentina an opportunity to present its position in relation to common principles and themes which are also relevant to the Question of the Malvinas Islands and, if accepted, could influence the Advisory Opinion to be delivered by the Court.

The Legal Counsellor of the Argentine Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Mario Oyarzabal, and Marcelo Kohen, an Argentine professor and specialist on international law, represented Argentina.

The main points of the Argentine written and oral statements were the following:

- It is incumbent upon the General Assembly to establish how and when a non-self-governing territory was decolonized;

- The territory of a colony has a legal status separate and distinct from that of the territory of the State administering it;

- Resolution 1514 (XV) of the United Nations General Assembly declares existing international law rights, especially in relation to the principles of self-determination and respect for the territorial integrity of all peoples.

- Respect for territorial integrity is applicable to States and peoples whose right to self-determination has been recognized in accordance with applicable General Assembly resolutions;

- Administering powers do not have the right to adopt unilateral measures which change the status of the non-self-governing territory or to dispose of it for their own benefit.

Within this context, Argentina held that the process of decolonization of Mauritius was not legally completed since its territorial integrity was violated. It further noted that the population of Chagos, who are part of the Mauritan people, were expelled from their homes and deported, in addition to not being allowed to return since then, which is not consistent with international law.

The International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the UN and its opinion has significant political and legal value.

Argentina made its first written statement for the proceedings on 1 March 2018 and answered comments from other countries on 15 May.

Other participants include, in addition to Mauritius and the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Belize, Botswana, Brazil, Chile, Cyprus, China, the Republic of Korea, Cuba, Djibouti, the United States, France, Guatemala, India, Marshall Islands, Israel, Kenya, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Madagascar, Namibia, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, the Netherlands, the Russian Federation, Serbia, Seychelles, South Africa, Thailand, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Zambia and the African Union.

Oral statements of the Argentine Republic are available at: http://www.icj-cij.org/en/multimedia/5b8ce181a12d880415cfb4f7 , together with the written statements made by Argentina on March and May 2018.

Press Release No. 352/18