In a surprising address on Wednesday, Argentina’s libertarian President, Javier Milei, commemorated the anniversary of Argentina’s unsuccessful attempt in 1982 to take the Falkland Islands from Britain by expressing optimism that the islanders might someday identify as Argentine rather than British. This statement caught many off guard in Argentina, which still asserts its sovereignty over the islands, known locally as Las Malvinas, despite the UK’s control. Milei’s comments were criticized by political opponents, who argue the islanders should not have the right to choose their nationality due to their non-Indigenous status.
“We aspire for the Malvinenses, the inhabitants of the Falklands, to eventually opt for us,” Milei stated during a ceremony commemorating the brief 74-day conflict in the South Atlantic that resulted in the deaths of 649 Argentine and 255 British servicemen. “To achieve this, we must rise as a power so that they would prefer to come under Argentina’s fold.”
The roughly 3,000 Falkland residents voted in a 2013 referendum to remain a British overseas territory—an outcome dismissed by then-President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. As a left-leaning leader, Kirchner made Argentina’s claim to Las Malvinas central to her foreign policy, repeatedly challenging the British control as a relic of colonialism and urging for negotiations on the territory’s status, which Britain has administered since 1833.
Wednesday also saw political backlash from Kirchner and her supporters, who are staunch ideological opponents of President Milei’s right-wing administration. Former Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero was quick to criticize Milei’s apparently diplomatic remarks, emphasizing on social media that “there can be no self-determination following an occupation and displacement,” in a strong accusation of abandoning the nationalistic claims that Argentines had once fought and died for.
Even those in the center-right PRO party, traditionally closer to Milei’s political stance, showed uncertainty towards his lenient approach on what is typically a deeply unifying issue of national pride for Argentines.
During his presidential campaign in 2023, Milei, a former TV host, stirred controversy by expressing admiration for Margaret Thatcher—the British Prime Minister who ordered the military action which recaptured the Falklands from Argentina’s then-ruling military junta. At the time of his comments, Milei’s cabinet sought to mitigate concerns, reassuring that his address did not signify a policy shift. Defense Minister Luis Petri specified to the media that Milei referred not only to self-determination but also to the persistent pursuit of Argentina’s claims in diplomatic arenas.
Marking the 43rd anniversary of the war, internal tensions within the upper echelons of the Argentine government surfaced as well. Victoria Villarruel, Milei’s vice-president known for her passionate defense of the Argentine military, traveled over 2,800 kilometers to the country’s southern coast to lead a separate memorial service. Speaking in Ushuaia, a launch point for the failed 1982 campaign, Villarruel was met with cries of “Long live the homeland!” as she passionately criticized Milei’s stance and called for a definitive national defense policy.