The President led the central act at the Malvinas Museum. He urged the British government to resume negotiations for the sovereignty of the islands.
02 Apr 2022
President Alberto Fernández led the official act of the Veteran’s Day and of the Fallen in the Malvinas War, at the Malvinas and South Atlantic Islands Museum, which is located in the former ESMA. In his speech, the head of state urged the British government to abandon the “unjustified military presence” in that area, and requested that negotiations for the sovereignty of said territory be resumed.
The event was not part of the vice president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who will be in charge of her own ceremony, at 4:00 p.m., in the National Congress.
“The Malvinas were, are and will be Argentine,” said Alberto Fernández
In the midst of the internal ones in the Front of All, the versions indicate that this disagreement could be a new indication of the tensions that mark the relationship between the head of state and the head of the Senate of the Nation.
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Also participating in the act were the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Sergio Massa; Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero; and the Minister for Women, Gender and Diversity, Elizabeth Gómez Alcorta.
Alberto Fernández, together with the three officials, presented commemorative medals to family members and veterans of the war that began four decades ago.
Then, the President gave a speech, in which he asked for applause for the ex-combatants and their relatives who participated in the ceremony; and also to leaders of the region, such as Evo Morales (Bolivia) and José Mujica (Uruguay).
“On the 40th anniversary of the landing of Argentine troops in our Malvinas Islands, I want my first words to be for the soldiers who left their lives, their families and all the veterans who suffered postponement,” said Alberto Fernández. And he fought for “never again fall into oblivion” of “no government.”
“We recognize them, we remember them, we honor them as the heroes that they have been and that they are,” added the President.
In this framework, he maintained that there is a common feeling about it.
“We Argentines share the same conviction: the Malvinas Islands are part of our national territory. The Malvinas have always been Argentine, and we will never give in to our claims,” said Alberto Fernández.
In addition, he recalled that the conflict broke out during the last military dictatorship. “In those days, in that unbearable social and political climate, the Military Junta that had then usurped power decided, in a desperate attempt to preserve it, to go against the long Argentine diplomatic tradition of negotiating in international organizations and landed with our soldiers in Malvinas Nothing good could come from that handful of criminals,” he said.
He stressed that, with the passing of days, the “manipulation” on the part of the de facto government became evident. And that the Argentine soldiers faced “a power of the first order” with “meager means.” “They defended their land, which unfortunately continues to be usurped today,” he remarked.
“Let’s not get tired of repeating it: honor to our soldiers of the South Atlantic War,” said Alberto Fernández. And he recalled that the country “has been demanding” the restitution of the islands, a slogan that was incorporated into the national Constitution in 1994. In addition, he pointed out that efforts are underway for a third process to identify the fallen.
The President highlighted his position of continuing “working within the framework of the deepest respect for international law to recover what belongs to us, by our right, for the memory of the victims.”
In addition, he requested the United Kingdom of Great Britain to comply with the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly of 1965, to resume “negotiations on the sovereignty dispute.”
“We are asking for dialogue within the framework of international law that assists us,” insisted Alberto Fernández.
In addition, he urged the British government “to abandon the unjustified and excessive military presence on those islands, which does nothing more than bring tension to a region characterized as a zone of peace and international cooperation.”
In his speech, Alberto Fernández also valued the support of the Latin American nations that support the Argentine claim.
“Every day let’s build the united Argentina that we need and deserve so much,” said the head of state.
