Argentina's vice president has slammed the UK and Argentina's new deal on the Falkland Islands, saying his country has been offered “crumbs”.
The agreement, announced last week, includes resuming flights to the islands, resuming negotiations on plans for humanitarian projects and organizing graveside trips for relatives of soldiers killed in the Falklands War.
Argentine Foreign Minister Diana Mondino and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy reached the agreement on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, with both foreign ministries saying the measure would “improve bilateral relations”.
Flights from São Paulo, Brazil, to the archipelago will stop in Córdoba, Argentina, once a month, and the two countries have also agreed to cooperate on protecting fisheries.
But the pugnacious vice president, Victoria Villaruel, break the plan Last weekend, they claimed it was “against the interests of our country.”
“Do they think we are fools? While they are reaping material, tangible, immediate benefits, they offer us crumbs of spiritual comfort and deprive us of our It weakens their ability to negotiate,” said Villaruel, a fiercely conservative politician who comes from a military family.
The Falkland Islands, known as the Malvinas in Argentina, are located 300 miles east of the South American country's coast. The sovereignty of the islands has been a subject of controversy since colonial times. Argentina had claimed sovereignty since the early 19th century, but Britain, which also claimed sovereignty, seized the territory in 1833 and expelled the few remaining Argentine residents. The 74-day war between the two countries in 1982 ended with Argentina's surrender and the loss of 649 Argentine soldiers, 255 British soldiers, and 3 islanders.
In the 2013 referendum 99.8% of residents They voted for the islands to remain part of the British territory. Nevertheless, sovereignty remains a touchy topic across Argentina. This debate is often used during political campaigns, but all public transportation must display signs that say “The Malvina family is Argentinian.”
This is not the first time Villaruel, who played a key role in building the voter base that led to Javier Millay's surprising success in last year's elections, has broken with the president. The two men have also clashed over pay raises and soccer chants.
Dr. Julio Montero, an associate professor of political theory at the University of San Andres, said the controversy “speaks to the ideological tensions” within Javier Millay's recently formed Liberal Party, Avanza. “Millay is supposed to be a liberal. Villarreal is a conservative nationalist with ties to the military,” he said.
Jack Ford, chairman of the Falkland Islands Parliament, said “all parties stand to benefit from this cooperation”, adding that it would bring significant economic benefits, as well as closure for families who have lost loved ones in the war. He said he was deaf.
