PRESS RELEASE - 4 JANUARY 2016
Malvinas Islands: Argentina reaffirms its rights of sovereignty and reiterates its call for dialogue 183 years since the British usurpation.
"On 3 January 1833, the Malvinas Islands were occupied by British forces, which evicted the Argentine population and authorities lawfully established there and replaced them with subjects of the occupying power. The Argentine Republic immediately protested against that unlawful act of force which continues, and did not consent to it at any time.
From the very beginning of its existence as an independent nation, the Argentine Republic showed through acts of government its firm political intention of exercising effective sovereignty over the southern territories and maritime areas inherited from Spain.
183 years after the beginning of such illegitimate ongoing occupation, the Argentine people and Government reaffirm once more the imprescriptible sovereignty rights of the Argentine Republic over the Malvinas, South Georgias and South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas.
The First Transitory Clause of the National Constitution enshrines the permanent and indefeasible objective of recovering full exercise of sovereignty over said territories and maritime areas, in accordance with international law principles and respecting the way of life of the inhabitants of the Malvinas Islands. This objective is a State policy which responds to the aspirations of the Argentine people as a whole.
The year that has just ended marked the 50th anniversary of the adoption of resolution 2065 (XX) of the United Nations General Assembly, which was the first one to refer specifically to the Question of the Malvinas Islands, and it was ratified by all subsequent resolutions of the General Assembly and its Special Committee on Decolonization.
For decades, the international community has regarded the Question of the Malvinas Islands as one of the forms of colonialism that must be brought to an end, and has urged Argentina and the United Kingdom to find a peaceful and definitive solution to the sovereignty dispute through bilateral negotiations.
Our region has been unanimous in its rejection of the British military presence in the South Atlantic, expressing its concern through various statements by the Summits of Presidents of Mercosur State Parties and Associate States, UNASUR, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Ibero-American Summit. Other regions have also expressed themselves in favor of the resumption of negotiations such as the Summit of South American and Arab Countries (ASPA) and the Summit of South American and African Countries (ASA).
Furthermore, the Group of 77 and China has expressly recognized the right of the Argentine Republic to take legal actions, with full respect of International Law and relevant resolutions, against non-authorized exploration and exploitation activities in its maritime areas, which include the continental platform.
50 years after the adoption of resolution 2065 (XX) of the General Assembly, the Argentine Republic renews its strong commitment to the peaceful solution of controversies, to international law and multilateralism, and invites the United Kingdom to resume negotiations with a view to finding -as soon as possible and in a fair and definitive manner- a solution to the sovereignty dispute over the Malvinas, South Georgias and South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas as soon as possible, following the path of dialogue, peace, and diplomacy as urged by the international community.
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