"The UK was struggling to reverse a diplomatic defeat over the Falkland Islands on Wednesday after the EU endorsed an Argentina-backed declaration referring to Islas Malvinas, the Argentine name for the disputed territory."
https://www.ft.com/content/68c0efff-...e-226f9e970733
UK battles to reverse EU endorsement of ‘Islas Malvinas’ name
Buenos Aires celebrates ‘diplomatic triumph’ after summit with European leaders uses Argentine term for Falkland Islands
The UK was struggling to reverse a diplomatic defeat over the Falkland Islands on Wednesday after the EU endorsed an Argentina-backed declaration referring to Islas Malvinas, the Argentine name for the disputed territory.
British diplomats requested that European Council president Charles Michel “clarify” the bloc’s position after Buenos Aires trumpeted a “diplomatic triumph” following a summit of EU leaders with Latin America and the Caribbean (Celac) leaders on Tuesday, according to EU and UK officials.
But the request fell on deaf ears. “This was agreed by 27 member states and the Celac countries,” said an EU official. “We cannot issue a statement on their behalf.
“The UK is not part of the EU. They are upset by the use of the word Malvinas. If they were in the EU perhaps they would have pushed back against it.”
The EU official added that “the Argentines have spun it in a certain way”.
The declaration said: “Regarding the question of sovereignty over the Islas Malvinas/Falkland Islands, the European Union took note of Celac’s historical position based on the importance of dialogue and respect for international law in the peaceful solution of disputes.”
It was endorsed by 32 of the 33 Celac countries, with Nicaragua refusing because of language on the war in Ukraine.
Buenos Aires said it was the first time the EU had officially recognised in a joint declaration the Latin American position on the islands, which calls for dialogue over their future and respect for international law.
Argentine foreign minister Santiago Cafiero said that “off the back of this declaration the Argentine government hopes to further expand dialogue with the EU regarding the question of the Malvinas Islands.
“This joint declaration constitutes a further call from the international community for the UK to agree to meet its obligation to resume sovereignty negotiations with Argentina,” he added.
UK foreign secretary James Cleverly had asked Brussels to keep the Falklands out of the declaration in the run-up to the summit, according to officials from London and Brussels.
A figure close to Cleverly said: “The Argentine government can lobby whoever they wish but it doesn’t change the fact that the Falkland Islands are British. That is the clear will of the Falkland Islanders. Ten years ago, 99.8 per cent of Falkland Islanders who voted said they wanted to stay a part of the UK family.
“Our commitment to that decision is unwavering and will continue to be so.
” Peter Stano, spokesman for the European External Action Service, said: “The EU member states have not changed their views/positions concerning the Falklands/Malvinas Islands. The EU is not in a situation to express any position on the Falklands/Malvinas, as there has not been any council [of member states] discussion or decision on this matter.”
He added: “The EU does not take any position on such issues without a council mandate.”