After British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s statements about the continuity and even the possibility of increasing the United Kingdom’s military presence in the Falkland Islands, which generated the government’s reaction, the English ambassador, Mark Kent, sought to tone down the controversial: “It is not a change in our foreign policy” and added that “We do not see Argentina as a threat, we do not want conflict.”
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BUENOS AIRES.- This week the Argentine Foreign Ministry rejected with a statement the presentation of the British plan for “Defense, Security, Development and Foreign Policy”, where Prime Minister Johnson affirmed that they will maintain “the presence of the armed forces in the Malvinas Islands” and even left the door open to “increasing the marine presence to protect said territories.” Argentina asked “to listen to the international community” and denounced the violation of a series of United Nations resolutions that establish that unilateral decisions cannot be taken in disputed areas, such as the Falkland Islands.
In dialogue with TN, Ambassador Mark Kent used the explanation that the United Kingdom has taken for years to respond to the accusations: “We have always supported the right to self-determination of all territories, it is important to listen to those who have lived there for decades” , he replied during the interview in one of the halls of the British residence. At the same time, Kent assured that “the diplomatic presence of the United Kingdom is more active than ever after Brexit” and asked not to classify the dispute over the sovereignty of the Islands as a “conflict”.
In that sense, Kent reiterated that his government does not see “an overseas threat in the region” and called for “collaborating with Argentina to find a joint solution to the important challenges that affect us, such as illegal fishing throughout the South Atlantic” . Similarly, and consulted by Johnson’s statements, the diplomat reaffirmed: “In our overseas territories we will have the most appropriate presence.”
Despite the fact that London exhibits the principle of self-determination, in recent months the inhabitants of the Islands have shown their annoyance at the tariffs they will have to pay to export products to Europe after Brexit and the difficulties they face in extracting oil. Kent assured that “the islanders have the right to choose what their future will be” and highlighted their cooperation to sign with the Red Cross a historic agreement that will allow the remains of Argentine soldiers that are in a common grave to be exhumed. It is part of the so-called Humanitarian Project Plan in Malvinas, by which 115 fallen in the war have already been identified.
Britain reissued a foreign policy plan like this week’s for the first time since the end of the Cold War. It represents the general outline of the British position vis-à-vis the world in the post-Brexit era that began this year. Among the points that most attracted the attention of the international community is the 40% increase in nuclear capacity, which for Kent “responds to military and security needs”, while he called to “bet on diplomacy” and he assured that they are not going to “spend money on weapons that are not necessary because there is no plan of aggression.”
Finally, Ambassador Kent assured that the United Kingdom did not lose influence in the world by leaving the European Union and stressed the importance of leading cooperation projects on issues related to free trade and global warming. Kent spends his last months at the residence located in the Recoleta area. He arrived in Argentina in 2016 and his mission will end by the end of June: “I will take with me the memory of a country with a lot of potential, a lot of human capital, with whom it is possible to dialogue despite the differences that may exist,” he concluded.
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