The EU has backed down after a row about what the Falkland Islands/Las Malvinas are called. The remote South Atlantic archipelago is populated by British loyalists, but is claimed by Argentina. The two countries fought a brief, brutal war over the islands in 1982.
The argument developed after Brussels supported an Argentinian motion at a summit between the EU and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). Indeed, even 41 years after losing the actual war, Argentina declared a victory.
Naturally, the British railed against the decision, calling on the EU to clarify its positions.
Brexit bonus
However, the EU swiftly suggested the issue is an outcome of Brexit while acknowledging “the Argentines have spun it in a certain way”:
This was agreed by 27 member states and the Celac countries.
They added:
The UK is not part of the EU. They are upset by the use of the word Malvinas. If they were in the EU perhaps they would have pushed back against it.
According to the Guardian, the declaration in question reads:
Regarding the question of sovereignty over the Islas Malvinas/Falkland Islands, the European Union took note of Celac’s historical position based on the importance of dialogue and respect for international law in the peaceful solution of disputes.
Malvinas Mood
The UK maintains that the islands are British, a position which hinges off the loyalty of the entire population to the UK.
PM Rishi Sunak blasted the EU’s decision. A spokesperson told Sky News:
To be clear, the Falkland Islands are British, that was the choice of the islanders themselves
However, by this time the EU seemed to have backed down on the issue. An EU official said the bloc’s positions had not changed. Sunak’s spokesperson noted:
The EU has rightly now clarified that their position on the Falklands has not changed after their regrettable choice of words.
It was also pointed out that in a 2013 referendum “99.8% of islanders voted to be part of the UK family”. Sunak’s spokesperson said this position was established in law and the UN charter:
On and on
Rows over who actually should have the islands flare up fairly regularly. And deep bitterness over the 1982 war remains. After all, 255 British and 649 Argentinians died in the conflict, which saw highly trained British troops fight it out with mostly Argentinian conscripts.
If or how the conflict will ever be truly resolved is unclear, but the UK remains committed to holding on to the islands. Ultimately, the enduring loyalty of the residents to Britain seems no more likely to wane than Argentina’s ambitions.
Featured image via Wikimedia Commons/Alex Petrenko, cropped to 1910 x 1000, licenced under CC BY-SA 3.0.
By Joe Glenton
This post was originally published on Canary.
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