President Javier Milei, of Argentina, participated on Tuesday (2) in a ceremony marking the 42nd anniversary of the Falklands War, the 1982 conflict between the country and the United Kingdom. in which the Argentines were defeated.
The ultra-liberal leader paid tribute to the veterans and soldiers who died and said he will “start a clear path so that the Falklands become Argentines again”. He is not the first to make statements of this nature: several presidents, such as Cristina Kirchner and Maurício Macri, have claimed ownership of the islands that today belong to the United Kingdom —and there calls the Falklands.
The military who commanded Argentina’s last dictatorship, between 1976 and 1983, also wanted the islands and took action to do so: they militarily occupied the territory in 1982, and thus started the war with the United Kingdom — which lasted just two months and was won by the English.
But Why do Argentines claim the islands belong to them??
Understand the Falklands War
One of the main reasons Argentina claims ownership is proximity: the islands they are around 600 km away from the Patagonian coast and around 13 thousand km away from the United Kingdom.
Argentines argue that those who first occupied the islands were the Spaniards who governed the Viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata – the region that, in 1810became independent from the Spanish metropolis to become Argentina.
In the 1820s, already independent from Spain, Argentina sent authorities to take possession of the islands. In 1829, appointed a governor for the Falklands.
Four years later, in 1833, the English expelled the Argentine authorities from the islands.
Almost 150 years laterIn April 1982, under the dictatorship, the Argentines launched Operation Rosário, that is, the attempt to recover the islands with military forces. This was the beginning of the Falklands War.
The United Kingdom maintains, however, that its claim dates back to 1765, before the 1820s, and that it sent a warship to the islands in 1833 to expel Argentine forces that had attempted to take possession of the islands.
In 1982, Argentina invaded the islands. The war began, which was won by the English two months later. In total, they died:
- 649 Argentine soldiers
- 255 British fighters
- 3 island residents
Years after the war, in 2013, Falkland residents voted in a plebiscite to decide the fate of the island, and chose to remain an overseas territory of the United Kingdom.
See below a report on the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War.
40 years of the Falklands War: the dispute between the English and Argentines
In his participation to commemorate 42 years of the war, Milei said that the greatest tribute that can be paid to veterans is to defend Argentina’s claim to sovereignty over the islands.
Tuesday’s ceremony was the first tribute to war veterans during Milei’s government. The vice president, Victoria Villarruel, daughter of a former war fighter, was also present.
The ultraliberal president had already said that the Falkland Islands should pass to Argentina.
According to Milei, for the country to be respected, it must be a protagonist in international trade and have an army prepared to protect its sovereignty.
He then praised the military and called for “a new era of reconciliation between society and the Armed Forces, giving them the recognition and support they deserve”.
The last dictatorship in Argentina began in 1976 and ended in 1983. Since then, the country has tried and sentenced military personnel who committed crimes during the period.
Milei stated in his speech that he wants to change the image of the armed forces.
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