MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Tierra del Fuego protests Falklands display at the coming agricultural show in Uruguay

The Falklands stand at the British Pavilion last year, promoting tourism to the Islands

The extreme south Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego has sent letters to the Foreign Ministry and to the Malvinas, Antarctica and South Atlantic Department expressing concern about a Falkland Islands stand at the British pavilion in the coming international agriculture show in Prado, Montevideo, Uruguay to take place between September 3 and 15.

The letters addressed to Minister Jorge Faurie and to the head of the Malvinas Department Mateo Estremé, demand all the pertinent actions before the Uruguayan authorities and the organizers of the rural show, to solve the British initiative which is contrary to the UN General Assembly resolutions, and “are intent on lessening Argentina's legitimate and irrevocable sovereignty rights over the Malvinas Islands, as well as promoting economic activities in the Islands, in such a way that consolidates the British illegal presence in our austral archipelagos”.

The Tierra del Fuego provincial government, (officially known as the Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and South Atlantic islands province) recalls that this new provocation is in the framework of a raft of similar actions, which have been taking place over three years, and which last year motivated a Question before the Senate, signed by Senator Jose Ojeda requesting the Foreign Affairs ministry to inform on the measures taken to ensure our legitimate and imprescriptible sovereignty rights over the Malvinas, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and their adjoining maritime spaces.

It was also requested the ministry inform on the measures to adopt in the future to impede a repeat of such actions and underlined that Uruguay has also been historically consequent in supporting the recognition of Argentine sovereignty over the South Atlantic islands.

The province of Tierra del Fuego is currently ruled by governor Rosana Bertone of the Peronist party and will be succeeded in December by Gustavo Melella from the Union Civica Radical.

The Falklands/Malvinas question is a very sensitive issue for the province. Ms Bertone has always criticized the good constructive neighborly policy of the current president Macri administration, completely opposite to that of the Kirchner couple during the twelve years they ruled Argentina, which was geared to strangle the economy of the Islands.

And in effect as in previous year a Falklands delegation will be present at the British Pavilion in the Prado show with a stand promoting tourism and trade with the Islands. The stand has been a success despite some occasional interruption from Argentine hotheads, and this year also includes technical staff from the Department of Agriculture. No political staff from the Falklands' government or elected members of the Legislative Assembly attend the Prado show in such a capacity.