This file photo shows an aerial view of Stanley, Falkland Islands (Malvinas) on October 07, 2019. (AFP Photo)
Britain’s defense secretary said on Sept. 4 that London’s commitment to the Falkland Islands was “absolute and unshakeable” after Argentine President Javier Milei renewed claims to the territory.
Britain and Argentina fought a 10-week war in 1982 over the South Atlantic islands, a British overseas territory which Argentines call Las Malvinas.
“The Falklands are British because Falkland Islanders choose to be British,” Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said on social media following a nationally televised address by Milei, in which he said the “winds of change” favored Argentina’s claim to the islands.
“Our commitment to the Falklands is absolute and unshakeable,” said Streeting, suggesting that the statement by Milei, whose approval ratings are plummeting, was a result of “domestic politics.”
But the dispute, a highly emotive issue in Argentina, threatened to spill over after U.S. President Donald Trump hinted he could wade into the matter.
Trump announced on Aug. 31 that the United States was reviewing its position on the Falkland Islands, amid reports Washington is threatening to oppose Britain’s sovereignty in the region if it does not increase defense spending.
In an interview on Sept. 3 with the British network GB News, Trump criticized London’s lack of military support for his war with Iran and refused to confirm whether he would back Britain in a potential new dispute with Argentina.
“We’re really clear that the Falkland Islands are a British overseas territory,” government minister Lucy Powell told Sky News on Sept. 4.
“They are a British overseas territory, and we will defend the right of those who live in the Falkland Islands to determine their own future and where they want to sit.”
