FALK RIGHT OFF
Argentine President ‘Mad Man’ Milei pushes for UK to HAND OVER Falklands at crunch talks with David Cameron in Davos
It comes after the radical firebrand insisted the overseas British territory belongs to Argentina
ARGENTINE President Javier Milei is pushing hard for the UK to hand over the Falkland Islands following crunch talks with David Cameron.
The "Madman" claimed the future of the Falklands could be discussed in talks with the UK after meeting the Foreign Minister for a summit in Davos, Switzerland today.
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The Argentine leader has suggested a Hong Kong-style agreement which would see the UK hand sovereignty of the islands in the South Atlantic to Buenos Aires.
He said Cameron and his Argentine counterpart Diana Mondino would "move forward in finding a solution" to the dispute over the islands.
It comes after the radical firebrand insisted the overseas British territory belongs to Argentina.
Right-wing Milei said it was time to "get the Falklands back" in November last year, just weeks before he was made Argentina's new president in a landslide victory.
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And Downing Street insisted the Falkland Islands would remain British despite the president-elect's threats.
Following the meeting with Lord Cameron, Milei was asked by Latin American news website Infobae whether there was scope for a resolution to the Falklands issue based on the Hong Kong model.
"We have not made in-depth progress, but we have made it an item on the agenda for our minister Diana Mondino and minister Cameron to move forward in finding a solution on the topic," he said, according to a translation.
The Foreign Office has been asked for a response to his comments.
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Before heading into the meeting Cameron told the Guardian he was going to "share a few insights".
He later confirmed the pair discussed "building co-operation on trade and combating global threats" and there was "much that the UK and Argentina can achieve by working together".
But he made no mention of the Falkland Islands and the UK's position is their sovereignty is not up for negotiation.
He later wrote on X/Twitter: "There is much that the UK and Argentina can achieve by working together.
"I met President @JMilei to discuss building cooperation on trade and combatting global threats.
"I wished him well in his attempts to bring Argentina back to economic growth."
An Argentinian presidential spokesman confirmed yesterday the meeting would take place.
It was initially thought to have been scheduled only between Foreign Secretary Cameron and Milei.
Argentinian outlet Clarin said Cameron asked Milei for the meeting in a WhatsApp message he sent him as he was on his way to Davos.
And rival paper La Nacion claimed the Falklands issue would be “on the table” along with the economy.
Argentina’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement following Milei’s landslide victory in the nation’s November election that its claim to the islands constituted a “permanent and unwaverable objective.”
But he added at the time that the islanders living there must have a say in their future.
Sunak previously said: “It’s obviously a settled issue, a long-settled issue, and we have no plans to revisit it.”
And Defence Secretary Grant Shapps went on to rebuke any notion of negotiations with Argentina by saying: “The Falkland Islands are British.
"That is non-negotiable and undeniable.”
Lord Admiral West, 75, believes there is no concern of an Argentine military invasion on the Falkland Islands but warned that "stranger things have happened".
Downing Street confirmed late last week that Sunak would not be attending the World Economic Forum in Davos for the second year in a row.
Cameron met former Argentinian president Mauricio Macri at the summit in 2016 when he was still Prime Minister.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken appeared at the summit on Wednesday and spoke about the current conflicts unfolding around the globe.
He said the Middle East provides a "profound and gut-wrenching challenge" to current foreign affairs.
Blinken insisted that the US plans to work with its allies - as none of the big crises can be resolved by America alone.
He added: "When you are going through hell, keep going".
Milei's comments are not the first time Argentina has laid claim to the Falkland Islands.
Britain and Argentina went to war for ten weeks in 1982 when the South American country invaded and occupied the islands.
Argentina surrendered in June after just 72 days - leaving the islands in British hands.
The war claimed the lives of 255 British servicemen, three islanders and 649 Argentinian personnel.
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UK ministers have repeatedly cited the results of a 2013 referendum which saw close to 100% of voters on the islands, which have a population of about 3,500, opt to remain a British Overseas Territory.
The Falklands, known as Islas Malvinas in Argentina, are about 8,000 miles from Britain and 300 miles from the South American nation.
The UK's battle with Argentina for the Falklands
The UK has claimed ownership of the Falkland Islands almost continuously since 1833.
Argentina believes it has the right to Islas Malvinas, as they call it, after inheriting the islands from the Spanish crown in the early 1800s.
In 1982, Argentina invaded the islands in the hope of claiming them "back".
But following that ten week battle more than 40 years ago, Argentina surrendered the islands back to the British.
However, due to its closeness in proximity to the Falklands compared to the UK, Argentina also sees this as a reason to claim the archipelago.
The Falklands are about 8,000 miles from Britain and 300 miles from Argentina.
Since Javier Milei was announced as Argentina's new president in December 2023, he's vowed to "reclaim" the Falklands.
The UK has since responded by saying the Falklands are non-negotiable and remain "undeniably British".
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