The President of Argentina, Javier Milei, has told his country that he plans to return the Falkland Islands to Argentine administration via a "roadmap" before his tenure in office comes to an end.
In a speech in capital Buenos Aires on Tuesday, the premier vowed for fewer words and more hardline action - but he has since come under fire from more radical Argentines for not going far enough.
Milei said: "I want to reiterate our unwavering claim for the islands, and I commit that during our government we will have a clear roadmap so that the Malvinas return to Argentine hands.
He added the "best tribute" to Argentina's dead in the war would be to "defend the unwavering claim for Argentine sovereignty" over the archipelago.
Argentine premier Javier Milei said the "best tribute" to Argentina's war dead would be to "defend the unwavering claim for Argentine sovereignty" on the Falklands
Reuters/PA
The president continued: "But a real and sincere claim, not mere words in international forums with no impact on reality and that only serve the politician in power to impose a false love for the country."
The speech fell on "Malvinas Day" - what Argentina and much of the Spanish-speaking world calls the Falklands - on Tuesday, commemorating the 42nd anniversary of the start of the war - the day Argentine forces invaded the islands.
His words did little to assuage Argentines hawkish on the Falklands - but even when running for president in late 2023, Milei had toed a relatively moderate line, saying the country should "make every effort to recover the islands through diplomatic channels".
At the time, a spokesperson for the British Prime Minister responded by saying the issue had been "settled decisively some time ago" and that the UK would "proactively defend" the islanders' right to self-determination.
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Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said the UK would "protect and defend" the Falklands during a visit there this year
PA
During a visit to the archipelago in February this year, Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said the UK would "protect and defend" the Falklands for as long as they "want to be part of the UK family".
He said: "We will support them, and back them and help protect and defend them, absolutely, as far as I'm concerned, for as long as they want. And I hope that’s for a very, very long time, possibly forever."
Lord Cameron has said the UK wants a good relationship with Milei’s government - "but it will never be at the expense of the wishes of the Falkland Islanders".
Though the foreign secretary's trip drew condemnation from Argentine political figures, who saw it as an outrageous and unnecessary provocation.
Also in Milei's Tuesday address was a call for Argentina to chase a higher profile in the world of international trade - but the president couldn't stay away from referencing the islands.
He said: "For a sovereign nation to be respected, it must be a protagonist of international trade" - and slammed prior left-wing governments in Argentina as "serial defaulters" whose claims to the UK-administered territory should not have been taken seriously.
But Milei's critics used the anniversary to blast the president, who has his expressed his admiration for Margaret Thatcher in the past; Buenos Aires province governor Axel Kicillof said: "You cannot honour or idolise Margaret Thatcher who treacherously ordered the killing of Argentine soldiers," adding the ominous phrase: "Sovereignty is not just speech."
