Argentina asks UK to reestablish flight connection with the Falkland Islands

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Through its Foreign Ministry, Argentina demanded the United Kingdom to reestablish the regular direct service between the Falkland Islands and Punta Arenas (Chile) with two monthly stopovers in Río Gallegos in the Argentine province of Santa Cruz, which has been suspended since March 2020 due to restrictions, beyond the control of the Argentine government, and imposed in the context of the pandemic caused by Covid-19.

In a statement, the Argentine ministry headed by Santiago Cafiero pointed out that “having already passed almost two years since the suspension of the aforementioned regular service, and in an international context where air services have been normalized, the Argentine government considers necessary and opportune the resumption of the aforementioned regular air service, which would allow attending both the needs of the inhabitants of the islands and those of the inhabitants of the mainland, especially those of the relatives to visit the graves of their loved ones fallen in the conflict”.

And added: “To deepen the connection with the islands, since 2020, the Argentine government has been proposing to the United Kingdom to reestablish direct regular air services between the Argentine mainland and the Malvinas Islands operated by Argentine companies”.

Likewise, the trans-Andean Foreign Ministry recalled that “during December, the Argentine government offered two humanitarian flights from the Argentine mainland, with a national flag carrier, to the Falkland Islands to address the situation of air disconnection, to transport residents of the Falkland Islands who need to travel to other destinations to attend to personal formalities or visit their relatives (particularly Chilean residents, especially affected by the air restrictions)”.

However, “these proposals have not been accepted by the United Kingdom, and the lack of connection between the Malvinas Islands and the mainland persists,” the statement said.

In this context, the Argentine government “has demanded to the United Kingdom the reestablishment of the regular flight from Punta Arenas to the Malvinas Islands with two monthly stopovers in Río Gallegos, while reminding it that the flight mentioned is framed in the Joint Declaration of Madrid of October 19, 1989, as well as in the Joint Declaration and Exchange of Notes of July 14, 1999″.

“It is a matter exclusively dealt with by Argentina and the United Kingdom, and no other alternative for treating this issue is foreseen in the instruments in force,” the document warned.

At the same time of the claim presented by the Argentine Foreign Ministry, President Alberto Fernández said on Tuesday, March 1, while heading the opening of the parliamentary year in Congress, that “the Malvinas (Falklands) issue must be a State policy,” and affirmed that the country “reiterates its search for a negotiated and peaceful solution to the sovereignty dispute” over the islands, controlled by the United Kingdom since 1833.

In the middle of his speech during the inauguration before the Legislative Assembly of the 140th ordinary session, the Head of State evoked the mandate of the first transitory provision of the National Constitution to “generate consensual strategies that allow leading to the claim successfully”.

“The vocation of building that consensus has been expressed in the laws that we promote and unanimously sanctioned in both Chambers,” said the president.

Fernández referred to the laws that established, last year, the creation of a National Council on Matters Relating to the Malvinas (Falklands), South Georgia, and South Sandwich Islands and an increase in the demarcation of the outer limit of the Argentine continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles.

“The Argentine Republic reiterates its search for a negotiated and peaceful solution to the sovereignty dispute to fulfill the unrenounceable objective of recovering the full exercise of sovereignty over that part of our territory that is usurped. We are grateful for all the support of countries, regions, and international forums that express themselves in favor of Argentina,” expressed Fernández.