The new libertarian government, unrestrictedly aligned with the United States and Israel governments, has deactivated all possible actions regarding the Malvinas issue with the United Kingdom. The most obvious manifestation of this is the Argentine government's silence regarding the various British actions linked to these island and maritime territories, even declaring its intention to join NATO. This is certainly unusual, because Argentina doesn't even pay attention to the "South Atlantic Zone of Peace and Cooperation," which the United Kingdom systematically violates.
Shortly after taking office in 2023, President Milei ordered that the annual budget not be processed, thereby freezing funds for the armed naval forces, maritime and river security, and control forces, further hampering the administration and control of the South Atlantic and the implementation of any policy to strengthen national sovereignty in the southern part of the Southwest Atlantic and Antarctica, as well as the control of illegal fishing, slave labor, and drug trafficking.
The then Chancellor Diana Mondino declares that "it is necessary to attend to the rights of the islanders" in contrast to the provisions of the First Transitory Provision of the National Constitution and the doctrine maintained by Argentina on territorial integrity.
That same year, the National Executive Branch submitted to Congress the Basic Law (Omnibus), which seeks to reform the Fisheries Law to allow foreign fishing companies access to the Argentine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) through the payment of a fee . This is unprecedented in the developed world and would have foreignized the Argentine sea and prevented any form of Argentine control in the Southwest Atlantic, weakening its administration. Further undermining the seriousness of the measure, this law would authorize landings outside national ports, the entry of vessels of any age, and the use of foreign crews on fishing vessels. At the same time, it repealed Law 26,386, which prohibited vessels authorized by the Enforcement Authority from fishing in the Malvinas Islands without national authorization, and vice versa. Consequently, allowing vessels fishing illegally under a British license in the Malvinas Islands, including those owned by a Spanish-British company, to fish in Argentina's Exclusive Economic Zone , a true surrender of national sovereignty. This project was withdrawn by the government due to the strong opposition from business, union, political, and expert sectors (among them, those of us who write these lines).
The Commissioner of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands extended the "fishing ban" from 283,000 to 449,000 km2 in the so-called illegal United Kingdom Ecological Sanctuary of 1,070,000 km2 around the Islands, violating - in addition to Argentine sovereignty - the Convention on Living Resources in Antarctica, constituting a new unilateral act without the Argentine Foreign Ministry taking any position or acting accordingly.
Foreign Minister Diana Mondino and the Malvinas Secretariat of the Foreign Ministry, Paola Di Chario; the diplomatic heads of the Convention on Antarctic Marine Living Resources and the Protection of the Antarctic Marine Environment; of the Secretariat of Bioeconomy, Fernando Vilella; of the Undersecretariat of Fisheries Juan Antonio López Cazorla and of the Federal Fisheries Council, violate by action or omission the First Transitory Provision of the National Constitution and all applicable Argentine legislation (Laws 15,802; 22,584; 23,775 ; 23,968; 24,216; 24,543; 24,922; 25,263; 25,675; 26,386; 26,651; 26,776 and 27,564); regardless of the responsibility that could fall on the governor of the Tierra del Fuego Province, Gustavo Melella, in his provincial jurisdiction.
Progress on the prohibition of navigation and fishing in an area 166,000 km2 over the existing Marine Protected Area violates the aforementioned Convention and UN Resolution 31/49 of 1/12/1976, promoted by the government of Isabel Martínez de Perón, which urged " both parties to refrain from taking decisions that entail the introduction of unilateral modifications to the situation while the Islands are going through the process recommended in resolutions 2065 and 3160 "; the norms relating to the Antarctic Convention and all Argentine legislation relating to Argentine territorial, fishing and environmental rights.
Given the existing port in South Georgia and the Malvina Islands, the United Kingdom announces the construction of a new port in the Malvina Islands , at a cost of $194 million, financed by Rothschild Bank. This port terminal is expected to be open in 2027, improving logistics on the islands and providing an airport for large aircraft. All of this will facilitate the operations of large cargo ships that use the Strait of Magellan to access the Pacific Ocean, given the impossibility of doing so through the Panama Canal. Likewise, those transiting from the Indian Ocean, tourist contingents, and foreign fishing vessels operating in the southern part of the Southwest Atlantic will also be facilitated. It will also promote the global scientific interest of those working in Antarctica, displacing the ports of Tierra del Fuego in all of these activities. The United Kingdom's objective is to establish a Regional Hub in the Malvina Islands.
Foreign Minister Mondino and the Secretary for the Malvinas Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, Paola Di Chiaro, are absent from the VIII Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) where “ the countries of the region reaffirmed their support for Argentina’s sovereign rights in the question of the Malvinas Islands, in accordance with the provisions of Resolution 31/49 of the United Nations General Assembly .”
Without interruption, Argentines continue to be misinformed about the true seriousness of the British invasion of the Argentine archipelagos and sea: Chancellor Mondino's position is -at least- contradictory: she questions that Russia occupies 18% of the territory of Ukraine and does not denounce that the United Kingdom invades or disputes 46.64% of Argentine territory; that is, a larger space than the Argentine American continental territory (2,791,810 km2) and the Argentine Antarctic (965,314 km2); since the The United Kingdom invades and/or disputes 5,497,178 km2 of Argentina's national territory. That is, 46.64%, since it occupies and exploits 1,639,900 km2 of Argentine territory (corresponding waters, protection zone and GAP in the Malvinas Islands and the Marine Protected Area and ecological sanctuary of 1,070,000 km2 around South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands) and disputes 2,426,911 km2 of the Antarctic continent and 1,430,367 km2 of the continental shelf with Argentina.
Through the actions or inaction of Argentine authorities, the Argentine river and maritime front is being weakened. A lack of proper management of the Paraná-Paraguay waterway trunk line , which does not favor the regional development of Argentina's northeastern coast, and the authorization for the deepening of the Montevideo Port channel without an equivalent effort in the planned Magdalena Canal, impedes the proper integration of Argentina's river-maritime trade network and favors the logistics of illegal high-seas fishing of migratory fish originating in the Exclusive Economic Zone and the Malvinas Islands. This weakens sovereignty in the archipelagos of the Southwest Atlantic and, most particularly, in the populations of Patagonia, which have the lowest population density in the country.
Given the inaction of the Argentine Foreign Ministry, all operations related to the Malvinas are using Uruguay's ports and airports to facilitate fishing and oil operations in the Malvinas , as is the Chilean port of Punta Arenas . In other words, they are working to consolidate relations with these countries, despite South America's rhetorical stance in favor of Argentina and the lack of interest shown by Argentine officials in seeking agreements with their neighbors, especially those related to the South Atlantic and Antarctica.
Finally, in a clear demonstration of Britain's objective to occupy this strategic space in the Atlantic, the United Kingdom maintains a completely disproportionate missile and naval base on the islands, contrary to the "South Atlantic Zone of Peace and Cooperation" signed by all the countries of West Africa and East America, approved in 1986 by United Nations Resolution 41/11. All of these acts strengthen the United Kingdom's influence in Antarctica, which may be immeasurable and very likely irreversible, given the tolerance and passivity of the Argentine Foreign Minister.
Without the Foreign Ministry pursuing any active policy, the United Kingdom has a policy designed for all the Overseas Archipelagos it considers part of the Commonwealth of Nations. This includes the 2017 announcement of establishing a "Blue Belt" for the islands, under the pretext of protecting the surrounding environment. In reality, this constitutes areas of British marine control, as is the case with the Malvinas, South Georgia, and Sandwich Islands. This is the case with the 1,070,000 km2 "Ecological Sanctuary" established around the latter islands in 2011, which is now being deepened by the absolute fishing ban on 166,000 km2 added to the 4,000 km2 GAP Area northwest of the Malvinas, where a large part of the squid, a key species in the Malvinas, is concentrated.
Nor does the Foreign Ministry pursue a post-Brexit policy regarding its relations with the European Union to ensure that all fishery products caught in the Malvinas Islands do not enter the European Union without paying import duties. This is especially true for Spain, which, despite having companies based in Argentina, authorizes Galician vessels to fish in the Malvinas Islands and partner with British companies in the islands. Argentina has not, as we said, applied any sanctions for violations of Law 24.922 and UN Resolution 31/49.
Incidentally, the Madrid Agreements I and II , which limit national naval and air defense actions, are still in force . They effectively allow the capture of Argentine fishing resources in the Malvinas Islands and prevent Argentine vessels from fishing in that area.
The foreignization of the South Atlantic and the appropriation of migratory resources originating in the EEZ on the high seas and the Malvinas are evident: Chinese, Spanish-British, Korean, Taiwanese and other companies have fished 48 million tons of fish since 1976 to date - with or without illegal British licenses - for a total estimated value of 192 billion dollars.
Regarding the fishing industry based on the Argentine continent, " of the total dollars of fishing exports declared in 2024, 539,289 tons were worth US$2,005 million , coming from catches in its EEZ; 70% in the hands of 20 business groups and 30% from the remaining 174 exporting companies. Of those 20 groups, 70% are foreign-capital companies and 30% are national companies, and of those foreign companies, 70% are Chinese- and Spanish-capital companies" ( César Lerena " The Chinese, Spanish, and British states take over Argentine fishing", 3/20/2023 ) . There are no policies in the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries; in the Ministry of the Malvinas; in the Malvinas National Council or Federal Fisheries Council to manage the Southwest Atlantic and peacefully recover the Malvinas.
Since taking office, Foreign Minister Diana Mondino has repeatedly shown sympathy for the British and the islanders occupying the Malvinas Islands, assigning rights to the latter as if they were parties to the dispute, violating the mandate of the First Transitory Provision of the National Constitution. Furthermore, she has failed to file the corresponding claims in the various forums and has ignored the repeated violations of our unredeemed territories by the British Crown, various officials, and the British armed forces. Minister Mondino reaffirms her pro-British policy with the appointment of former Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie as ambassador to Chile—a traditional ally of the United Kingdom in the region—and the appointment of Ambassador Carlos Foradori to Geneva, thereby endorsing the actions of the Argentine government in 2016. ratified at the recent Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Argentina and the United Kingdom, through the Press Release on the Malvinas Question of 24/9/24 (IP 470/24) where the contents of the Foradori Duncan Pact are ratified, through a new Mondino-Lammy Pact , which in its most salient parts indicates: "that the Argentine Foreign Minister, Diana Mondino, and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom, David Lammy, meeting in New York on 24/9/2024, advanced a broad agenda that includes aspects linked to the South Atlantic, applying this agenda and its results the sovereignty safeguard formula contained in paragraph 2 of the Joint Declaration of October 19, 1989. " The Parties agreed to resume the third phase of the Humanitarian Project Plan jointly with the Red Cross. The need to move forward with concrete measures regarding fisheries conservation and improved connectivity was also established, in accordance with the agreements reached in 2018, including the resumption of the weekly flight from São Paulo to the Islands, which made a monthly stopover in Córdoba… These objectives are none other than those indicated in the Foradori-Duncan Pact: "to adopt appropriate measures to remove all obstacles that limit economic growth and sustainable development in the Malvina Islands, including trade, fishing, navigation, and hydrocarbons." All of this without any contribution from the United Kingdom in return for this shameful concession from Argentina. Mariano Moreno told us: "There are decisions that cannot be made either drunk or asleep," that is, under any circumstances." This unworthy Mondino-Lammy Pact violates national sovereignty and the National Constitution; It once again ignores the National Congress and the majority will of the Argentine people, who did not give any mandate to the Chancellor to facilitate the British territorial occupation of our territories.
On October 31, 2024, Chancellor Mondino will cease to hold office and Gerardo Wertheim will be appointed Chancellor, who continues without taking any positive action regarding the Malvinas Islands.
In February 2025 , Mariana Edith Plaza was appointed Argentine ambassador to London ; an appointment that was rejected by the Confederation of Malvinas Combatants, the Federation of War Veterans of the Province of Buenos Aires, and a large part of the opposition political spectrum, as this diplomat had stated that "all claims and rights that Argentina has over the Malvinas Islands should be renounced" ( De Vedia Mariano, La Nación, 2/22/2025 ).
Without Argentine opposition, the United Kingdom expanded the Sea Lion oil project in March 2025, operated by the Israeli company Navitas Petroleum, in association with the British company Rockhopper Exploration, which will produce 150,000 barrels per day. That same month, the British armed forces conducted military exercises in the Malvinas to demonstrate their military potential to Argentina and the world, as well as their military occupation of the Southwest Atlantic and the access routes to the Pacific, Indian Ocean, and Antarctica, ignoring the "South Atlantic Zone of Peace and Cooperation" signed by all the countries of West Africa and South America.
The foreign policy pursued by the Milei government, of exclusive alignment with the United States and Israel, isolates Argentina from the group of nations that traditionally supported Argentine claims to the Malvinas Islands. Our weakness, derived from a policy of import liberalization, deindustrialization, and destruction of the State, places Argentina in the worst condition of foreign dependence to sustain our sovereign claims.
After 43 years of erratic policies regarding the Malvinas Islands, we should say that it is not about living isolated from the world or resorting to military procedures, since Argentina is not capable of sustaining any conflict, not only because it is unarmed, but also because of its extreme weakness and economic dependence. Nor is it about being Anglophobic or simply maintaining " against the English is better ," as the writer Ema Cibotti writes in her book, or using the " hand of God ," which expressed a popular sentiment held—even before us—by many Irish, Scottish, and Welsh people.
Our independence lifted the Spanish viceroyalty from us, but the British continued to exploit our resources in the country despite the Peace and Friendship Treaties or under the protection of Agreements, such as the Madrid Agreement, which served to further expand their occupation of our territory. As the biblical teaching of David and Goliath tells us, it is necessary to use the best available resources to resolve this issue that hurts our feelings, since the Malvinas Islands, like the Blue Unicorn, are ours and we love them.
Alfonso Hernández-Catá told us: " War never begins with the first battle nor ends with the last " and we modestly reiterate that " Cancha Rayada has its Maipú " as it will also come to Malvinas, if our policy stops being: declaiming, demanding and cooperating unilaterally and, the officials, instead of trembling and securing their salary, walk with courage and intelligence towards the full sovereignty of our continental, insular and maritime territory.
Dr. Cesar Augusto Lerena
South Atlantic and Fisheries Expert – Former Secretary of State
President of the Agustina Lerena Foundation
President of the Center for Latin American Fisheries Studies (CESPEL)
www.cesarlerena.com.ar
April 2, 2025
