In a ceremony filled with emotion, the Argentine ambassador to France, Ian Sielecki, received the statuette “Soldier Maciel Recognition”, a distinction awarded by war veterans who highlight those who actively promote Argentine sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.
The recognition was given at an event held at the Army Museum, in Ciudadela, where attendees highlighted the diplomat's commitment to the national cause.
The award is granted by the organizers of the traditional vigil that has been held for 29 years in San Andrés de Giles, considered “the national capital of malvinization”.
The reason for the recognition
The distinction is based on an episode that occurred last January 21 in the French National Assembly.
During a presentation on Franco-Argentine relations, Javier Milei's government ambassador interrupted his speech when he noticed that behind him was a map showing the Falkland Islands as a territory of the United Kingdom.Faced with the situation, he said: “I just noticed that I am sitting in front of a map that shows the Falkland Islands as if they were part of the United Kingdom. This is a big problem at different levels, including legal ones, because I cannot, as a representative of the Argentine State, speak freely before that map.” The ambassador considered that doing so would entail legitimizing that representation
.Faced with the attempt to relatize the fact by the authorities present, he reinforced his position with a comparison: “it is designated as the United Kingdom. That's the point. It is as if the Ukrainian ambassador was invited to speak before a map showing Lugansk or Crimea as if they were legitimately part of Russia. I'm sure my Ukrainian colleague would reject that very clearly
