'They're ours!' Javier Milei doubles down on Falkland Islands as he vows to take them back
The whacky Argentine president has ramped up the rhetoric over the Falklands after being branded a "traitor" last week by his own side.
Argentina’s president Javier Milei has declared that the Falkland Islands are “Argentine” and are being “occupied by the United Kingdom”.
In an interview with Chilean publication El Mercurio, he said that the UK “claims sovereignty” but that the dispute can only be resolved “through diplomatic channels” as “China did with Hong Kong”.
The reporter that interviewed Milei claimed his office had "a poster of Margaret Thatcher", together with other pictures of neoliberal icons Ronald Reagan and former Argentine president Carlos Menem.
The 53-year-old long-haired leader said: “It's going to take years, but I think it's worth resolving it through diplomatic channels. And at some point, there may be a window for it to be done. If it can't be done today, there are other things we can work on”.
His comments come after an interview he gave to the BBC, where he said British Foreign Secretary David Cameron has “every right” to visit the Falkland Islands as they are “in the hands of the United Kingdom”.
The interview sparked a fierce backlash in Argentina, with a leading senator branding him a “traitor”.
During the interview, Mr Milei said: "If that territory is now in the hands of the UK, he [David Cameron] has a right to do that. I don’t see that as a provocation.”
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Mr Milei insisted that he was steadfast in his desire for the islands to become Argentine, but “within the framework of peace”.
He said: “We are not going to relinquish our sovereignty, nor are we going to seek conflict with the United Kingdom”.
However, reacting to the comments, the senator for Tierra del Fuego, which is at the southern tip of Argentina, Cristina López, dubbed the president a "traitor to the Homeland".
In a post on X she said: "For the admirer of Margaret Thatcher, British Chancellor David Cameron “has EVERY RIGHT” to visit our FALKLAND Islands because “that territory is today in the hands of the United Kingdom.” Today I presented a project to repudiate this new provocation."
At the end of the post she said "Las Malvinas son Argentina", meaning the Falklands are Argentine.
Lord Cameron visited the islands in February, he said: "The Falkland Islands are a valued part of the British family, and we are clear that as long as they want to remain part of the family, the issue of sovereignty will not be up for discussion.
"The Falkland Islanders should be proud of the modern, prosperous community they have built. The Islands are a thriving economy, where as well as farming and fishing, there is a priority given to conservation and sustainability."
