The Foreign Ministry protested to the United Kingdom over the illegal incursion of the HMS Medway

The Argentine Foreign Ministry presented a formal note of protest to the Embassy of the United Kingdom regarding the unconsulted movements of the ocean patrol vessel HMS Medway, which sailed from the Falkland Islands to the Argentine mainland without complying with the notification mechanisms agreed upon by both countries.

The presentation was made on July 13 at the instruction of Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno. In the document, the Government expressed its “strongest rejection” of the actions of the British vessel, which it described as “illegitimately stationed in the Falkland Islands.”

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the route involved the transit of HMS Medway through Argentine Territorial Sea and was not duly notified in accordance with the existing bilateral agreements and declarations.

The Government pointed out that the British actions constitute a violation of the commitments made in the Joint Declaration of September 25, 1991, and in the Joint Declaration signed in Madrid on February 15, 1990. Both instruments established measures aimed at building trust and preventing military incidents in the South Atlantic.

The Foreign Ministry classified the episode as a “British military incursion into areas under Argentine jurisdiction” and maintained that it is part of a sustained policy of unilateral actions incompatible with United Nations resolutions.

The statement also reminded that the parties must refrain from making unilateral changes while the dispute over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands remains unresolved. In this regard, the Government accused the United Kingdom of obstructing Argentine efforts to reach a peaceful and negotiated solution.

The passage of the vessel had raised questions from sectors of Peronism, which submitted a request for information in Congress to find out if the Executive had been notified and what measures it intended to adopt. However, the diplomatic protest confirms that the national administration has formally initiated the claim before the British authorities.

The Argentine position is based on the fact that the so-called innocent passage provided for by international maritime law does not eliminate the information obligations established through specific agreements. National authorities maintain that the United Kingdom precisely failed to comply with that mechanism of transparency and mutual trust.

The Foreign Ministry warned that these movements deepen tensions in the South Atlantic and disregard the mandate of the international community for both countries to resume negotiations. “By history, by law, and by conviction, the Falklands are Argentine,” concluded the official statement.