News / Politics

UK minister makes first visit to Malvinas Islands in over a decade

Wednesday, 17 February 2016 6:41 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 17 February 2016 8:35 AM ]

British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon (L) visits the disputed Malvinas Islands along with Colin Roberts, the governor of the islands.

For the first time in more than a decade, a senior British cabinet minister has paid a visit to the Malvinas Islands, known as the Falklands to the British, amid a long-running dispute over their ownership with Argentina.

During a Tuesday trip, Defense Secretary Michael Fallon expressed hope that the recent election of Mauricio Macri as Argentina’s president would open the door for better relations between London and Buenos Aires, which says the islands are parts of its territory. “I hope that opportunity can now be taken.”

The British Ministry of Defense tweeted a photograph of Fallon standing in front of a memorial to the British soldiers killed during a bloody war between Argentina and Britain over the islands in 1982. The 74-day conflict left 649 Argentinean soldiers, 255 British soldiers, and three islanders dead.

The Malvinas Islands were declared part of the so-called British Overseas Territories when the UK established its colonial rule on the islands in 1833.

Argentina says that it inherited the islands from Spain when it gained independence, and that Britain forcibly took the islands from Argentina and has been occupying the territory since then.

London argues that the islanders should decide themselves whether to remain under British rule. In a 2013 referendum, 99.8 percent voted in favor of the islands remaining British territory.

Referring to the poll, Fallon said, “The Falkland Islanders have made their own choice very clear, in an overwhelming referendum, so that’s not the issue now.”

The London-backed vote, however, has been challenged by Argentina as a British maneuver lacking legal value.

The Argentinean government has not yet commented on Fallon’s visit to the contested islands.

The Malvinas Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean. The principal islands are about 300 miles (500 kilometers) east of Argentina’s coast and home to about 3,000 inhabitants.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk