Falklands War: Disputed islands 'must' be part of state policy vows Argentina ex-President

Earlier this year Cristina Fernández de Kirchner released an emotional video reiterating her desire to take back the Falkland Islands, which were relinquished to the British in 1982. The former Argentinian President claimed the Falklands “cannot be left out” from the way Argentina “shapes” its “national project”. In the video, she proclaimed: “To discuss the Falklands is to discuss our sovereignty and our soldiers in a global-political context.

“We cannot stand up for the Falklands without defending our national industry.

“And we cannot stand up for the Falklands without defending the science and technology that give us our sovereignty.

“The Falklands must form part of our state policy. They cannot be left out of the way we shape our national project.”

The Falklands War was a 10-week undeclared war between Argentina and the UK in 1982 over the Falklands Islands and its territorial dependency, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

READ MORE: Argentina election: Victory for candidate who demands Falklands grab

Dr Daniel Ozarow, Senior Lecturer at Middlesex University, claims that this could well be bluster from the former President, who would not dare invade the islands.

He told Express.co.uk: “Even under the previous government, there was a lot of rhetoric, but they will never invade.

“They know that they don’t have the army or the capacity to retake the islands by force.

“Even if the diplomatic situation ever reached rock bottom, Argentina’s army is totally ill-equipped to mount an invasion or sustain one.

More recently, Argentinian voters rejected President Mauricio Macri’s harsh austerity programme in favour of the left-wing slate which included former President Fernández de Kirchner.

In a shock result for the conservative incumbent, Mr Fernandez and Ms Fernández de Kirchner took 47 percent of the vote, making them the favourites for October’s election.

Mr Fernandez and Ms Fernández de Kirchner’s victory shook Argentina’s brittle economy as political uncertainty ran rife.

The peso lost a fifth of its value as the markets opened after Sunday’s vote and the cost of insuring against debt default soared.

Both Britain and Argentina have laid claim to the island over the past couple of centuries, with the former exercising de facto sovereignty over the archipelago since 1833.

source: express.co.uk