In an extensive interview published yesterday by the newspaper Clarín , the ambassador of the United Kingdom in Argentina Kirsty Hayes , deployed the plan that Great Britain is imposing on the libertarian government of Javier Milei in relation to the Malvinas, in economic, military and scientific matters. of investments of their companies in the country.
By way of conclusion, Agenda Malvinas draws a roadmap of the aspirations and certainties expressed by the ambassador, in the interview conducted by Clarín journalist, Natasha Niebieskikwiat , published yesterday.
Malvinas Question
1.- Go “back to previous administrations, such as Menem and Macri”, to “work on South Atlantic issues” in “a pragmatic and constructive way, using the umbrella of sovereignty” ; which means enabling the British colonial advance in the Malvinas without discussing the sovereign return of the usurped islands.
2.- Resume the exchange of "scientific information on fishing", so that INIDEP delivers certifications that indicate the quantity and quality of fishing resources in Argentine waters, so that the British put value on the fishing licenses they sell to the Spanish, Taiwanese and Korean fleet.
3.- “We are talking.” Recover the second commercial flight from Latam to Malvinas; weekly from São Paulo (Brazil), with a monthly stopover in Córdoba.
4.- Manage the times and decisions regarding the identification of the last collective grave without identification in the Darwin cemetery after Great Britain had been responsible for the existence of heroes buried without a name. “We are 100% committed to the humanitarian issue.”
Antarctic Logistics Pole
5.- “The United Kingdom has no closer ally than the US.” The ambassador ruled out that the commitment assumed by Javier Milei, to develop an Integrated Naval Base with the US in Ushuaia, will mean a change in the US position that will allow the recovery of the sovereignty of the Malvinas. “ There has not been a change in the position of the Americans on the islands.”
Purchase of the F-16
6.- “A sign of orientation that the Milei government has with NATO and the US.”
Business landing
7.- “Milei's plan” generates “ a lot of interest among British companies (…) I am receiving questions every day.”
China go home
8.- Against China in the name of “democracy, freedom of expression, etc.”, Argentina, the US, Great Britain plus the European Union “together to promote and protect these values.”
Argentina in favor of Ukraine
9.- Involve Argentina in the war between Russia and Ukraine , in favor of the latter; and incorporate the country as a member of NATO.
The Clarín newspaper interview
Were you surprised that Milei, after praising Margaret Thatcher economically, now has a more nationalist agenda with the Malvinas?
-I think that both countries, we have very clear requests and in the case of Argentina it is a constitutional issue, right? But if. It was a shame that some individuals during the campaign used the islands as a tool to attack Milei and her team . I always recognize the importance it has for Argentines. It is a very emotional topic.
You talk about the claim for the Malvinas.
-Exactly. But what I also observe is that there are some people who use the islands as an issue to distract attention from domestic issues or to attack their opposition . So for me it was a shame that this happened during the campaign, but I think the President was very clear. I had my first meeting with Javier Milei when I arrived after the elections of 21. His popular movement and his ability to connect directly with youth caught my attention. And I remember that he mentioned his admiration (for Thatcher) and I was very surprised because it was Voldemort in Argentina (for Thatcher, a "taboo" that cannot be named).
-But the position on the islands with the new government has not changed...
-Obviously. And we have our position, which has not changed. We will continue to privilege the issue of self-determination of the islanders and their rights . But I think that what we can do, like going back to previous administrations, such as Menem and Macri, is to work on South Atlantic issues. It was a pragmatic and constructive way, using the umbrella of sovereignty , for example. It is a shame that we have lost during the other government (referring to Kirchnerism) the exchange of scientific information on fishing, for example, because both Argentina and the islands have suffered from the predation of several species. Industrial ships that are working in the seas of the South Atlantic without a system to regulate this activity. (Clarín knows that this issue was raised by Hayes to Martin Menem when he went to Congress, as was the Kelper claim for a second flight to the islands that they canceled in 2020).
-You refer again to the fact that Cafiero canceled the 2016 joint statement, I understand...
-Exact. So for me it was an act of vandalism almost in diplomatic terms. And it was for the islanders too, because the islanders had a key role in the actions and all the humanitarian projects as well. They worked a lot with the relatives and there are strong ties of friendship between members of the Commission and the island authorities. So what we have to do now is reestablish ties of trust, because this decision was very hard for the islanders.
Has the Milei government given you any sign that they are going to restore the flight?
-I hope that the Government wants to return with this flight. We are talking. But it's still very early to talk about this. But I should point out that this flight was fairly recent when they canceled it or something. It was a fairly important route because Córdoba is a much more pragmatic destination for family members, because as you know, many of the participants in the conflict came from areas like Corrientes and Chaco and so on, so the flight that passes through Río Gallegos is not so practical. for them. So I think the flight had very great benefits for both Argentina and the islanders.
Were you surprised by the more "malvinero" turn that Milei had in the end?
I have not observed (Milei's) more Malvinista approach . I think he's been pretty consistent about his position. Obviously, I don't agree with several things he said, but I think that, for example, his speech on April 2 was more moderate than that of some of his predecessors. Less aggressive, there have not even been attacks against the islanders themselves. Not against my country . So I believe that, like any Argentine president, he will continue to be committed to this issue. But as our chancellor said after his meeting in Davos, we can disagree on this issue and do so in a polite way.
What agreements do you think are possible with Argentina? In terms of fishing for example
We are still in very early discussions, but we are thinking about the possibility of more scientific collaboration and not just on fisheries, but in broader areas. For example, the new head of CONICET, Salomone is going to visit the United Kingdom to have a series of meetings on antimicrobial resistance and also on dengue. Although we do not have dengue in the UK, we have a lot of expertise in the area of tropical medicine.
There are other pending issues with the lack of connectivity and flight policy. The islanders ask for the return of the San Pablo-Córdoba-Malvinas flight, but they are reluctant to accept family flights.
- The first thing to highlight is that we are 100% committed to the entire humanitarian issue . I think that during the last few days with this project of work with the Commission of Relatives (of fallen in Malvinas) it has been one of the most important moments of our relationship after the conflict of '82 and this is why we were so disappointed with this trick that the former Chancellor (Cafiero) in February of last year, because, for example, he did so on the penultimate day of negotiations on a third humanitarian project on the islands (which sought to identify a collective grave in the Argentine cemetery in Darwin).
What do you think of Milei's announcements in Ushuaia that its partnership with the United States in a comprehensive naval base that "helps" Argentina recover the Malvinas and endorses claims in Antarctica?
-I don't recognize that image you mentioned, because the United Kingdom has no closer ally than the United States . We speak very frequently with them here in Buenos Aires also in our respective capitals, and There has been no change in the American position on the islands. What is very positive is that, basically, Milei has indicated a commitment to work with the United States, with the European Union, with other countries, with similar values. And this is important because we are experiencing very complicated days worldwide. We have to promote the values of democracy, freedom of expression, etc.
What role did the United Kingdom have in the sale to Argentina of the United States F16s that are in the hands of Denmark? You gave a guarantee, right?
-Well, obviously I already mentioned the very close relationship we have with the United States and we have talked about this topic for several months. Obviously, the previous government was considering various options regarding the purchase of jets (it does not say so but it is clear that it refers to the option of Chinese aircraft). And in the end the government has decided to buy the jets from Denmark. We have had several conversations with the United States and also with Petri and other representatives.
What allowed them not to oppose that purchase? Was there a special commitment from Argentina?
-Basically, we are comfortable with the Argentine decision . I think it is more a sign of the orientation that the Milei Government has with NATO, with the United States. It is obvious that the Argentine Armed Forces have needs to replace obsolete material , despite all the economic challenges. Our policy is not always well understood. We do not have an embargo against Argentina, which is basically we had an embargo until 2018, with Macri. Now we analyze it case by case. So it's no longer an automatic embargo.
You have said that you are seeing positive changes economically. What do you think of the economic plan and the adjustment?
- Chancellor David Cameron said he was very impressed by Milei's plan . Obviously it is such a strong adjustment for the town. But I think Argentina needed a change of any kind and I think the Argentine government is trying to alleviate the impacts. But saying all this there is plenty of interest among British companies.
And where do you notice the change, for example?
-In terms of regulation for example. Because we have always had reference companies in Argentina. I think we have more than 100 companies present here and the Argentine market has always been interesting for them, because you have so much potential in terms of agriculture and minerals, for example. But they have a quite complicated regime for foreign companies due to capital restrictions, due to multiple dollars. And because there is a lot of regulation. And perhaps it has been more difficult in the past for smaller companies to enter the market. So every day I receive questions from companies from many areas that have an interest in Argentina.
One thing that has already changed and is very significant is the elimination of SIRA (import licenses) because these caused many problems for our companies.
Does the UK also care about excluding China from the South Atlantic like the United States?
-Well, I think that none of us can ignore the importance of China and we have, as Argentina has, a fairly strong economic relationship with China. But I think we have to work with open eyes and I think in many areas we can work well with China. They want a key role in the issue of climate change, for example. But it is true that there are values that they do not share regarding democracy, freedom of expression, etc. And this is why it is important that countries like Argentina, the United States, the United Kingdom, the EU nations work together to protect and promote these values . And we see this especially in what has happened in Ukraine with this very strong Russian aggression. And we have to remain committed to protecting the nation of Ukraine and that is why we are very happy to see the level of personal commitment that President Milei has on this issue.
