The Foreign Office has dealt a blow following an apparent recognition by the European Union of the Argentine name for the Falkland Islands.
EU chiefs met with 33 Latin American countries, known as the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), in Brussels earlier this week and signed the EU-CELAC summit declaration (pdf). The document referred to the contested Falkland Islands as “Islas Malvinas,” which is the Argentine name for the territory.
Argentina has been continuously claiming the British-run islands in the South Atlantic, over which the two countries fought a war in 1982.
“Regarding the question of sovereignty over the Islas Malvinas/Falkland Islands, the European Union took note of CELAC’s historical position based on the importance of dialogue and respect for international law in the peaceful solution of disputes,” the declaration said….