Foreign Secretary Santiago Cafiero this Friday rejected an announcement by Britain to grant the city rank to Puerto Argentino, the capital of the Malvinas Islands, saying it “exposed the colonial nature of Britain’s illegal and unlawful occupation” of the archipelago.

“The announcement of the British crown in Puerto Argentino exposes the colonial nature of the illegal and unlawful occupation of our Malvinas Islands,” Cafiero said on Twitter.

Then he continued: “To be clear: the territory was taken from Argentina 189 years ago by a military invasion.”

Correspondingly, he questioned that “the decision has no effect but insists that Britain does not respect international law.”

“That is Argentine territory,” he added.

“We will continue to act peacefully and diplomatically in defense of our sovereignty,” the publication concluded, adding the hashtag #MalvinasNosUne.

Meanwhile, Secretary of Malvinas, Antarctica and South Atlantic, Guillermo Carmona, also spoke via social network: “The United Kingdom’s announcement regarding Puerto Argentino reveals, once again, the colonial nature of the illegal and unlawful British occupation of #Malvinas”.

The official added that “the whole scene is anachronistic and reveals outdated imperialist claims.”

“The decision has no international effect, although it confirms that Britain is not respecting international law by maintaining a colonial regime on parts of Argentina’s territory,” he said.

He also recalled that “the UK’s reluctance to continue negotiations with Argentina on the question of sovereignty is central.”

“The decision of the British monarch does not change the situation at all: Puerto Argentino will continue to be Argentina even though this royal grant has expired,” he concluded.

Britain gave a city rating this Friday to eight cities, including Puerto Argentino, the capital of the Malvinas Islands, in celebration of the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, during her 70 years on the throne, and The Argentine government questioned the move by stating that it had ” colonial character” typical of the British occupation of the archipelago.

Milton Keynes in England, Dunfermline in Scotland, Bangor in Northern Ireland and Wrexham in Wales also claimed the title; and Colchester and Doncaster in England complete the list for royal mentions.

The last British honors competition was held ten years ago to mark the Diamond Jubilee of kings, and this year, for the first time in history, applications for city status are open to overseas territories such as Puerto Argentino and crown dependencies such as Douglas, on the Isle of Man, such as officially reported today.

Argentina maintains a dispute with Britain over the sovereignty of the Malvinas Islands, a claim which has a constitutional character and is recognized by the United Nations General Assembly, which ratifies annually a call for the two countries to start negotiations to find a peaceful and definitive solution to the dispute.

Decolonization Committee

Carmona, on a mission to United Nations headquarters in New York between Thursday and Friday, to hold a series of preparatory work meetings in the framework of the next annual session of the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization (C-24), according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Carmona and Argentina’s permanent representative to the United Nations, María del Carmen Squeff, held “a series of working meetings with UN authorities and other permanent missions of member states to consolidate support and prepare for the Committee’s next session. June 23”, which will be attended by a national delegation led by by Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero, Palacio San Martín said in a statement.

The official was also received by Abdulla Shahid, president of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly, with whom he discussed the General Assembly’s central role in the decolonization process, including the special and special case of the Malvinas Islands. .

On the other hand, the secretary had a meeting yesterday with the president of the Decolonization Committee, Keisha McGuire, where they spoke about the next session of the Committee that will deal, as every year, with questions about the Malvinas Islands.

At the meeting a resolution by consensus will be adopted reaffirming the call to the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom to continue negotiations in order to find a peaceful settlement of the sovereignty dispute as soon as possible, in accordance with what is stipulated in the decisions of the General Assembly.

The Secretary also met with representatives of the Latin American C-24 member states to consolidate the traditional support of the delegation during the handling of the Malvinas issue in the session on 23 June.

The agenda for today’s meeting included a meeting with the charge d’affaires of the Republic of Mauritius at the United Nations, Joyker Nayeck, where they discussed the specifics of the decolonization case of the Malvinas Islands and the Chagos Islands.

The diplomats “exchanged opinions and views on the importance of respecting international law and the provisions of United Nations General Assembly resolutions 2065 and 2066, which call on the British Government to end both colonial situations”.

The Special Committee on Decolonization will hold its annual session at UN headquarters in New York, from June 13 to 24, and will address the issue of the Malvinas Islands at its meeting on June 23.