The elections of Javier Milei on November 19 have sparked new fears for the safety of the Falkland Islands, and one defence analyst has warned it’s better to keep an eye on the far-right wing politician.
These islands are a UK overseas territory but Buenos Aires has been laying sovereignty claims on them for decades.
Tensions on the islands, known as Las Malvinas in Argentina, peaked in April 1982, when the military junta that was leading Buenos Aires at the time launched an invasion in a bid to take the islands.
Following Britain’s victory in the Falklands War, Argentina has repeatedly sought to reopen the dialogue on its sovereignty claim through diplomatic means.
The Argentinian desire to annex the Falklands was not quashed even after, in 2013, more than 99 percent of the residents on the islands voted in a referendum to remain part of Britain.
READ MORE: Argentina fires fresh salvo in war of words over Falklands
Rather, the sovereignty claim was emboldened once again over the past few months during the electoral campaign, during which victorious Mr Milei said: “Argentina’s sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands is non-negotiable.”
The now president-elect, who has pledged to “take a chainsaw” to his country’s crippled economy and has posed for pictures wielding the cutting tool, stressed he wants to get them back “through diplomatic channels” rather than with a conflict.
Defence analyst Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Crawford believes it is unlikely Buenos Aires would attempt a new act of military aggression against the Falklands – also thanks to the heavy presence of British soldiers in the area.
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While acknowledging Mr Milei’s aspirations to annex the Falklands may be “more hot air than anything else”, he also believes it would be wise to keep an eye on the president-elect.
In an article published on People Matter.tv, Lt Col Crawford wrote: “We are, after all, talking about a man who allegedly claims that his main advisers are his dogs, of which he has five, his ‘four-legged children’ whom he calls his ‘best strategists’.”
The analyst continued: “Sadly history tells us that such people can sometimes do untold harm.
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“Whilst the threat to the Falklands might seem laughable now, we’d best keep an eye on President Milei – there’s no indication what he might try to do next.”
The UK Government has already signalled it will continue to safeguard the Falkland Islands and its residents in the wake of the election of Mr Milei.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman said on November 21 there is “no doubt” the territory is British and that the UK will continue to “proactively defend the Falkland Islanders right to self-determination”.
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