French President Emmanuel Macron will tell Javier Milei that he wants Argentina’s dispute with the United Kingdom over sovereignty of the Malvinas (Falkland) Islands to be resolved through international justice, his office said on Wednesday.
The two leaders will meet in Paris on Thursday, during Milei's visit to France for Argentina Week, an event aimed at attracting European investors.
The trip comes amid tensions between Buenos Aires and London over sovereignty of the South Atlantic archipelago and following Milei's recent criticism of Europe and some of France's allies, including Spain and Britain.
“The president [Macron] will express our loyalty to our closest partners” and, regarding the islands, his “desire” for Argentina to respect 'the established practices and procedures for resolving territorial disputes,” a Macron adviser, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.
“There is a way to resolve territorial differences, which is to jointly refer the matter to the International Court of Justice and commit to respecting its decision,” the adviser said, adding that for such procedures to work, 'calm and restraint are needed.”
France also noted that, like Britain, it has “a long overseas history” and “shared concerns” about respect for its “sovereignty” in overseas territories.
On the European Union, Macron believes that “whatever he thinks and says publicly,” Milei should recognise it as “an important institution that we want to see fully play its role on the international stage,” the adviser added.
In an interview with broadcaster LCI last week, Milei said Europe was “sinking” because of “a tangle of regulations,” “the welfare state,” “a raging migration problem” and “wokeism,” and said its capital was not Brussels but the “Rome” of his ally, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The claim to sovereignty over the Malvinas is a central part of Argentine national identity. Argentina lost a war with the United Kingdom in 1982 after attempting to retake the islands.
The United Nations has recognised the sovereignty dispute between the two countries for decades and urged both sides to refrain from unilateral action over the territory.
– TIMES/AFP
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