Falkland Islands row as Argentina makes shock appointment enraging war veterans

Argentina has appointed a diplomat in favour of dropping sovereignty claims over the Falkland Islands as ambassador to Great Britain, prompting anger in Buenos Aires.

Mariana Plaza’s appointment as ambassador has caused outrage amongst veterans and nationalists who have accused the country’s President Javier Milei of cooperating with the “usurpers”.

Her promotion led to strong statements in opposition in the country’s senate as the government was accused of abandoning the country’s traditional claim of ownership over the British-held territory.

Veterans of the 1982 conflict over possession of the islands claim that Plaza advised former Foreign Minister Diana Mondino to “set aside the vindication of our sovereign rights over our Malvinas Islands and cooperate with the usurper, using other ways already tried by other governments and leaving our homeland in a shameful situation.”

They added: “Evidently, she has been touting an Anglo-Saxon affair and has not hesitated to say that the claim must be renounced.

“This attitude no longer surprises us since it would be in line with the foreign policy of our current government.”

They continued: “We know that there is a progressive abandonment of the claim.

“For this reason, and through these appointments in strategic places of people who are admirers of the British crown, we will always be on alert since these acts are an attempt against the interests of our nation.”

Ownership of the islands has long been a thorn in relations between Argentina and Great Britain.

Although historical accounts of who “discovered” the islands differ, they have been held by the British since the expulsion of the Argentine governor and garrison in 1833.

In 1982, an Argentine invasion of the islands led to the Falklands war, as a British taskforce was dispatched to reclaim the territory.

The 74-day conflict resulted in 255 British soldiers losing their lives as well as 649 Argentinians before Buenos Aires surrendered.

Britain has long said that the territory will remain British for as long as the inhabitants wish for it to remain so.

A 2013 referendum on the sovereignty of the Falklands saw 1,513 of 1,517 voters state that they wished to remain part of the UK.