Argentina has accused the Royal Navy of a “military incursion” into its waters just hours after the World Cup semi-final.
Last night, the Argentine Foreign Ministry issued a furious statement revealing it had lodged a “formal note of protest” with the British embassy over the movements of HMS Medway.
The vessel, which was “illegally stationed in the Malvinas Islands”, had made its way into Argentina’s waters earlier this month without telling the Argentines, the statement claimed.
“The Argentine Government firmly rejects this British military incursion into areas under Argentine jurisdiction,” it bristled
It then accused Britain of “deepening tensions in the South Atlantic”, and claimed the so-called “incursion” was the latest in a “long series” of similar acts.
Finally, it claimed the Navy was “hindering Argentina’s efforts to move towards a peaceful and negotiated solution to the dispute” – despite a series of provocative statements from Argentine ministers in the last few days alone.
On Sunday, Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno demanded Britain open talks on the sovereignty of the islands and branded the native Falkland Islanders an “artificially implanted” population.
That came despite the fact that around 86 per cent of his own country’s people descend from Europeans.
Last night, Argentina’s Vice President shared footage of soldiers invading the Falkland Islands and claimed the archipelago was Argentine after the semi-final.
Victoria Villarruel had just hours earlier branded England “usurping pirates” ahead of the game.
In this morning’s statement, Argentina said it “reaffirmed, once again, its legitimate and imprescriptible sovereign rights over the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and the surrounding maritime areas”.
“By history, by law, and by conviction, the Falkland Islands are Argentine,” it continued.
HMS Medway arrived as the Royal Navy’s permanently deployed presence in the South Atlantic in January this year.
She replaced HMS Forth in her role protecting the Falklands after serving in the Caribbean – though visited Tristan da Cunha to deliver aid amid the suspected hantavirus outbreak.
Medway’s role will be to sail around the archipelago, provide reassurance to its 3,600 citizens, enforce fishery protection regulations, work with the RAF and Army, and carry out general maritime security operations.
Argentine media reports say she sailed from the Falklands in early July, passed the coasts of Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego, and headed to the Strait of Magellan for resupply – the incident apparently at the centre of last night’s statement.
She then docked at Punta Arenas in Chile, her first visit to a Chilean port, where she was visited by Chilean Navy officials and a British delegation.
Argentina has previously condemned meetings between Chile and the UK for “weakening” its position on the Falklands.
It also has a continuing border dispute with Chile over an ice field in the Patagonian mountains.
Though Chilean President Jose Antonio Kast threw his weight behind Argentina’s claim to the Falklands during his inaugural state visit to Buenos Aires earlier this year.
Later that month, the islands were thrust back into the spotlight after a leaked Pentagon memo suggested the US might review its position on British sovereignty over Britain’s failure to pitch in with the Iran war.
President Javier Milei claimed in April that the Falklands, which he calls “Las Malvinas”, “were, are and will always be Argentine”.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio then downplayed the memo as “just an idea”.
A No10 spokesman previously said: “The Falkland Islands have previously voted overwhelmingly in favour of remaining a UK overseas territory, and we’ve always stood behind the islanders’ right to self-determination and the fact that sovereignty rests with the UK.”
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “HMS Medway undertook a routine logistics visit to Punta Arenas on July 5-8 supporting British Antarctic Survey (BAS) operations, delivering essential stores and supplies to sustain scientific research in Antarctica.
“The transit from the Falkland Islands to Chile and back was carried out via the most direct practicable route, considering operational safety and weather factors to ensure timely delivery.
“This planned logistics activity reflected the UK’s ongoing commitment to world-leading polar science and maintaining the infrastructure that supports BAS operations.”
