Argentina summoned this week the British ambassador to the Latin American country to discuss what it sees as issues that emerged following Lord David Cameron’s recent trip to the Falkland Islands. The UK ambassador, Kirsty Hayes, took part in a meeting with Argentinian Deputy Foreign Minister Leopoldo Sahores as well as Secretary of Malvinas, Antarctica and South Atlantic Paola Di Chiaro and the Undersecretary of Foreign Policy Marcia Levaggi, on Monday.
During the 40-minute meeting, Buenos Aires officials voiced the “concerns generated” by the visit carried out in late February by the UK Foreign Secretary and by the “initiatives and the announcements made” since, a statement issued by the Argentinian Foreign Ministry read.
One of the thorniest issues for Argentina is the new port planned for the Falkland Islands, the British Overseas Territory contended by Buenos Aires and known in the Latin American nation as Malvinas.
Last week, the historic shipyard that built the Titanic, Harland & Wolff, emerged as the “preferred bidder” by the Falkland government in the wake of a tender process for the construction of the port, set to replace the existing port facilities in Stanley.
This means the company is on course to win a multi-million contract for a project set to involve the creation of a floating dock, connected to the island by a separately-constructed access road and causeway.
The size of the deal is not yet settled as talks on pricing and commercial arrangements are still ongoing, but Harland & Wolff said it could be worth between £100 to £120 million over two years.
While Argentina voiced its concerns at the latest news regarding the port facility, this project has been in the making for several months.
Works are expected to start later this year and will involve the construction, transportation and installation of four floating pontoons, each about 295 feet long.
A report by the news outlet PERFIL suggests Argentina may be concerned with the new and improved port becoming a competitor for the facility in Ushuaia, an Argentinian resort town, and an attractive gateway to Antarctica.
The visit by Lord Cameron to the Falklands served to further demonstrate Britain’s commitment to protect the archipelago four decades after the war that raged there.
The new president of Argentina, Javier Milei, is now trying to find a balance between his pledge to annex the Falklands to his country – although via diplomatic means rather than aggression – and cultivating good relations with the British Government.
In January, Mr Milei suggested a Hong Kong-style agreement which would see the UK hand sovereignty of the islands.
But the UK’s position remains that, in accordance with the 2013 sovereignty referendum held on the islands, the Falklands are a British territory.
