Labour has pledged to keep the Falkland Islands British amid Remembrance Day events in honour of those who died protecting them.
Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard travelled to the islands last week to “honour the 255 British service personnel who died restoring the right of Falkland Islanders to choose their own future”, he wrote in the Sunday Mirror.
The British government has pledged to maintain sovereignty over the islands for the 3,600 people who call them home, however, this is expected to come with some pushback from Argentina.
Argentina has been long vocal about its demands for the islands off its coast yet 8,000 miles from Britain, with a proud emblem of their claim set in the presidential palace grounds in Buenos Aires.
The president, Javier Milei, acknowledged the Falkland Islands are currently “in the hands of the UK” during an interview with the BBC.
But the conservative leader pledged to reclaim the islands through peaceful negotiations and conceded there is “no instant solution”.
Admitting that reclaiming sovereignty over the islands could take years, President Milei emphasised Argentina’s intent to avoid any military confrontation.
Former Foreign Secretary, Lord Cameron, during his visit in February, was resolute that the UK’s control over the territory would not be up for negotiation.
President Milei affirmed: “If that territory is now in the hands of the UK, he has a right to do that. I don’t see that as a provocation. We are not going to relinquish our sovereignty, nor are we going to seek conflict with the United Kingdom.”
Defying any expectations for quick resolutions, he made clear the strategy ahead would be one of “long-term negotiation” without putting an exact timeframe on the efforts.
He said: “They might not want to negotiate today. At some later point they might want to. Many positions have changed over time.”
When Lord Cameron was prime minister in 2013, Falklanders overwhelmingly voted to remain part of the UK’s overseas territories.
There was a voter turnout of more than 90 percent and 1,513 out of 1,517 votes were in favour of the archipelago remaining a British Overseas Territory, leaving just three people against the idea.
