Argentine President Javier Milei has said his country will pursue the Falkland Islands through diplomacy rather than military force, suggesting the 1997 handover of Hong Kong could provide a model for negotiations with Britain.
In an interview with The Economist, Mr Milei said Argentina regarded the islands as “unquestionably” its territory but would not seek to repeat the 1982 conflict, when British forces defeated Argentine troops.
“We do not believe in war,” he said, adding that Argentines had not decided to “start yelling like savages” over the dispute.
Mr Milei pointed to the agreement under which Britain transferred Hong Kong to China in 1997 after more than 150 years of colonial rule. “The United Kingdom did this with Hong Kong, so why not find an agreement so that sooner or later the islands return to Argentina? They are ours,” he said.
The comments came after a televised address in which the Argentine president renewed his sovereignty claim and said “winds of change” were favouring his country. Argentina refers to the Falklands as the Islas Malvinas.
Mr Milei has also announced measures targeting oil companies involved in the Sea Lion project, which is being developed by Britain’s Rockhopper Exploration and Israel’s Navitas Petroleum north of the islands. Argentina’s government said it would use diplomatic, economic and legal measures to oppose the project and has submitted proposals to Congress aimed at strengthening the country’s sovereignty policy.
Britain rejected the renewed claim. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the UK’s position was “unwavering”, adding that the islands were British because that was the overwhelming wish of their inhabitants.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said Mr Milei’s remarks “tell us more about domestic politics in Argentina than they do about the Falkland Islands”, while insisting that Britain’s commitment to the territory was “absolute and unshakeable”.
The dispute remains sensitive in both countries, 44 years after the Falklands War. In a 2013 referendum, islanders voted overwhelmingly to remain a British Overseas Territory.
