Falkland Islands Dispute

In News

• Recently, the Government of Argentina launched a campaign in India demanding negotiation with the United Kingdom to settle the territorial dispute.

About

• Background: 
  • Argentina has maintained that the Falklands were illegally taken from it in 1833 and invaded the British colony in 1982. That incident resulted in the Falklands War.
  • The dispute was not settled with the “cessation of hostilities” in 1982 and urged for resumption of bilateral dialogue. 
• Argentina taking path through India: 
  • The Government of Argentina is demanding negotiations with the United Kingdom to settle the territorial dispute over the Islas Malvinas that are known as the Falkland Islands in the UK. 
  • The initiative coincides with the 40th anniversary of the conflict between the UK and Argentina, which ended with the re-establishment of British control over the archipelago.

Image Courtesy: Britannica

History

• Geographic importance: Since the 18th century, the Falkland Islands, located off the coast of Argentina in the south Atlantic Ocean, have always been subjected to colonisation and conquests by Britain, France, Spain and Argentina.  

• First colony: 
  • Prior to the 1700s, the islands were uninhabited, with France first establishing a colony there in 1764. 
  • The next year, when the British arrived to claim the islands for themselves, it marked the start of a dispute that has been ongoing ever since.
• Start of issue: 
  • By 1811, colonial powers had left, with the islands largely being used and visited by sealing and whaling ships. 
  • But in November 1820, an American privateer David Jewett once again kick-started a fresh dispute by claiming possession of the islands on behalf of Argentina. 
• Dominance of both Argentina and Britain: 
  • Over a period of two decades, minor conflicts followed between Argentina and Britain, with both asserting dominance over the other, alternatively finding victory in the conflict. 
  • That ended in 1840, when the Falklands became a Crown colony and Britain sent Scottish settlers to officially establish a community, one that was largely pastoral.
• Strategic importance to Britain: 
  • Strategically, the Falkland Islands were important to Britain and they were used as a military base in the South Atlantic Ocean, both during the First and Second World War. 
  • However, following the end of the Second World War, the islands once again became a cause of dispute between the United Kingdom and Argentina, with both asserting sovereignty over the islands.
• Post World War-II: 
  • In December, 1965, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 2065, a non-binding resolution that recognized the existence of a sovereignty dispute between the United Kingdom and Argentina over these islands, that urged both countries to find a peaceful solution to the dispute.
  • Over the next three years, both Argentina and the United Kingdom held talks about the islands, but those were impeded because settlers in the Falklands, who were originally from the United Kingdom dissented, forcing a halt to all negotiations between the countries till 1977.
  • In the background of these developments, conflict between the two countries over these islands were bubbling beneath the surface.
• Falklands War: 
  • Insisting that the United Kingdom had illegally taken the Falkland Islands from them, Argentina invaded the islands in 1982, sparking the Falklands War. 
  • The United Kingdom was not prepared for the attack and plans had to be rapidly put into motion. 
  • London was at a disadvantage because of the geographical location of the islands, approximately 7,000 nautical miles away. 
  • A little over two months after it broke out, the war ended with the United Kingdom’s victory.

Support for Argentina

• China’s Favour:
  • China reaffirms its support for Argentina’s demand for the full exercise of sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands. It said so using the Argentine name for the territory. 
  • Argentina has been single-mindedly engaging regionally and internationally, to assert its stance on the sovereignty of these islands and the joint statement by Beijing and Buenos Aires is among the most prominent of these engagements.
• Latin American Parliament (Parlatino):
  • A regional, permanent organisation composed of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, member states backed Argentina’s stance. 
  • Parlatino legislators and members of Malvina’s council and diplomats, called on the international community to urge the British Government to resume negotiations with Argentina in line with the provisions of international law.

India’s Stand 

• India has been supportive of a negotiated settlement of the dispute for many years and will continue to support that.
• Although on the day of launch of the Commission, not much support was seen from the side of the Government of India.
• The event has drawn attention as it is being organised just two days after the visit of the UK Prime Minister, who held talks with the Indian Prime Minister on a broad range of bilateral and global issues including the war in Ukraine. 

Way Ahead

• The outcome of an armed conflict cannot settle a territorial dispute like the Malvinas/Falkland Islands. The world should come together so that no such issues arise in future.

Source: TH