The moves – indicative of a steady thaw in relations following changes to the Argentinian government – were announced in the wake of meetings in Buenos Aires this week between the Foreign Office minister Sir Alan Duncan and the Argentinian foreign minister, Susana Malcorra.
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Argentine President Mauricio Macri on Tuesday invited business leaders to invest in his country, saying “you are in the right place at the ideal time”.
Both sides also agreed that additional flights would be established between the Falklands, which are located about 435 miles off the coast of Tierra del Fuego in southern Argentina, and third countries in the region.
High-profile British businessman Martin Sorrell also said in an interview on Tuesday the first signs of economic strain can be seen in post-Brexit Britain, even as the group’s operations have looked to be recovering in recent weeks. “We talked about Britain and Argentina’s commitment in issues of common interest, which include trade”, tweeted the Foreign Office minister.
Argentina’s “agro-industry, sustainable mining, traditional and renewable energy” are just a few of the sectors that offer opportunities for investment, said Macri, emphasizing that “the recession is behind us”.
Mr Macri was elected in November, pledging to “bring Argentina in from the cold” after over 10 years of rule by Nestor and Cristina Kirchner, who made reclaiming the Falklands a priority of their rule.
The UK confirmed the discussions would not affect the Falklands’ sovereignty.
The joint communique also said that both sides supported a project to use DNA to identify unknown Argentine soldiers who perished in the war and are buried on the islands.
14 de septiembre de 2016, 09:54Buenos Aires, Sep 14 (Prensa Latina) The Argentine government makes progress towards a dialog with the United Kingdom that allows the nation to undertake oil explorations in Islas Malvinas (Falkland Islands), a territory that has historically belonged to Argentina but London keeps under colonial tutelage.
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The countries planned greater co-operation through increasing trade links, uncovering new investment opportunities, strengthening cultural ties, tackling corruption and organised crime, and increasing links in science and technology. The UK continues to strongly support the rights of the Falkland islanders and our position on sovereignty has not changed – there can be no dialogue on this unless the Falkland islanders so wish.
