Mercosur reaffirmed its support for Argentina's claim to sovereignty over the Malvina Islands , a South Atlantic archipelago illegally seized by the United Kingdom since January 3, 1883.

In a statement issued at the end of the semi-annual summit held this Thursday, July 3, in Buenos Aires, the bloc expressed "its support for the legitimate rights of the Argentine Republic in the sovereignty dispute relating to the question of the Malvinas Islands."

The declaration was signed by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia, as full members of the bloc, and by Panama, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile and Peru , as associate states of the union.

Meanwhile, the document highlights the "regional interest" in ensuring that the "protracted sovereignty dispute" between Argentina and the United Kingdom "reaches, as soon as possible, a solution in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions and the declarations of the Organization of American States, Mercosur, and other regional and multilateral forums."