Argentina will be represented at the coronation ceremonies of Charles III by the ambassador in London, Javier Figueroa, who was also the national head of state at the funeral of Isabella II last year.
This degradation of the level of representation in the ceremonies that will take place from tomorrow has various interpretations.
On the one hand, the evident contempt that Kirchnerism wants to show the Crown, the monarch, who is head of state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland at a time when the government of Alberto Fernández put the conflict over sovereignty back on the table.
In this case, Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero formalized the end of some minimal agreements – some controversial, some positive – that had been signed with the British under the administration of Mauricio Macri. And the islanders were not allowed an extra flight via San Pablo and with a stopover in Córdoba, agreed in 2019, so relations with London and the islands are once again tense.
It also maintains a tight grip on the British over London’s provocative decision to send Kosovar forces to the Falklands for a cooperation and training exercise as part of one of its defense deals within NATO.
The curious thing is that despite having canceled this joint statement from the Farnesina by Macri and that of former premier Theresa May – which the government has defined as the Foradori-Duncan Patto -, Argentina Registered trade surplus with UK and the maximum of 562 million dollars was reached in 2022. Meanwhile, total bilateral trade recorded a 24.6% increase, explained both by the increase in Argentine exports (they grew by 21%) and by imports.
The sovereignty conflict has not entered trade, since in 2022 it was also positive in favor of Argentina, and had inter-year increase of 10.6% with a new record.
Several ministers, such as Health, Carla Vizzotti; and the Secretary of Energy, Flavia Royón, were in Great Britain, on a visit to the Cooperation. Alberto Fernández and Cafiero himself were in Glasgow, Scotland for the climate summit, COP26, in November 2021.
A reading made this Friday by an official source who asked not to be mentioned and criticizes the decision that Argentina was under-represented in the coronation of Carlos III – who was visiting the country and the islands when Carlos Menem ruled – he said it is lack of vision strategy. He said he is not calculating that world leaders – kings and presidents such as Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Frank-Walter Steinmeier – would be at said ceremonies centralized in the British capital.
When the Foreign Office was consulted as to why they did not send a minister or other official to London to accompany Figueroa, they sent the following: “He is the ambassador. He is the Argentine representation.” They also said that other countries don’t send presidents either.
But Joe Biden, who sends his wife Jill, has been to the UK four times; Luis Lacalle Pou was also visiting the United Kingdom, and now sends his chancellor, Francisco Bustillo. For his part, Gabriel Boric exceptionally sends his ambassador to the British capital because, it has been reported, his entire cabinet is concentrated on Sunday’s Constituent Assembly in which he could suffer a new crisis. Boric signed former premier Boric Johnson in 2022, a deal for “lasting defense”.
Thus, but by decision of the government, Argentina was left at the same level of representation of non-invited countries such as presidents Venezuela, Russia, Belarus, Iran, Burma, Afghanistan and Syria. Nicaragua and North Korea, that they only received invitations to their diplomatic delegation heads. The head of state of Argentina has been invited.
Government not only has it decided on a lower representation than in other Latin American countries, but has also decided that it is the minimum representation in front of the coronation of Elizabeth II. The same Juan Perón, who had the agenda of the Malvinas on the rise, but bet on negotiation and not on confrontation, ordered in 1953, at the ascension of the deceased mother of Carlos III, to its vice president, Alberto Teisaire.
The Loyalty of the Islanders
Meanwhile, unlike other overseas territories which feud over their dependence on London, or seek independence, the Malvinenses are extremely loyal to the monarchy. And they keep their colonial customs.
As reported this Friday by the Mercopress agency, the Governor of the Malvinas Islands and Commissioner of the South Georgia Islands and the South Sandwich Islands, Alison Blake CMG will be present at the coronation of Carlos III.
He will do so together with Teslyn Barkman, representative of the Falklands Legislative Assembly and this year chair of the UK Overseas Territories Association Council. Other members of the islands have also traveled: last year, a visit to the archipelago by Carlos III’s sister, Princess Ana, prompted strong protests from the Argentine side.
The islanders have their own celebrations and this Friday the so-called Falkland Islands forces tweeted that they were “ready” for their coronation.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.