Malvinas: Argentine protest over HMS Medway and statements by Chilean Defense Minister

The Argentine Foreign Ministry reported that, on instructions from Foreign Minister Quirno, a formal note of protest was submitted on July 13 to the Embassy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The reason: the movements of the HMS Medway, which according to the official statement is «illegally deployed in the Malvinas Islands.» The protest argues that these movements were not notified in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and involved transit through Argentine territorial waters.

Meanwhile, Chile’s Defense Minister, Fernando Barros, said in an interview with Radio Polar that the United Kingdom is a «friendly country» that has «exercised sovereignty» over the islands «for 200 years.» The statements, reproduced by Crónica, came amid debate over the opening of a maritime route between southern Chile and the Malvinas. Barros added that any eventual solution must take into account «the will and interest of the people involved» and that Chile supports Argentina’s claim, but recognizes a «de facto situation.»

The formal protest of July 13

According to the Foreign Ministry, the protest note expresses the «strongest rejection» of the movements of the HMS Medway. The official document describes the action as «unilateral» and argues that it violates the commitments undertaken in the Joint Declaration of September 25, 1991, which replaces Annexes I, II, III and IV of the Joint Declaration of Madrid of February 15, 1990, in its section I.2 on «Confidence-building measures,» point «b,» according to the text of the Joint Declaration of Buenos Aires and London of July 12, 1993.

The statement adds that these «unconsulted and illegal» movements contravene bilateral commitments on military confidence-building measures. It also frames them within a «long series of unilateral actions» by the United Kingdom that, according to Argentina, contravene United Nations General Assembly Resolution 31/49. That resolution urges both parties to refrain from adopting decisions that introduce unilateral modifications in the situation of the islands while the sovereignty dispute remains pending resolution.

The Foreign Ministry reaffirms the «legitimate and imprescriptible rights of sovereignty over the Malvinas, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas.» The text closes with the phrase: «By history, by right and by conviction, the Malvinas are Argentine.»

Statements by the Chilean minister

Crónica reproduces statements by Fernando Barros, Defense Minister in the government of Antonio Kast, made in an interview with Radio Polar. Barros said: «Chile has stated that it supports Argentina’s claim, its claim of sovereignty over the Malvinas or Falkland; but there is a de facto situation: a friendly country has exercised sovereignty for 200 years.» He added that «one thing is to support a claim vis-à-vis the position of a friendly country, but in accordance with international law, respecting the will and interest of the people involved and through peaceful means.»

The Crónica article notes that Chile continues to sign Mercosur documents that support Argentine rights. It mentions that at the bloc’s summit in Asunción in June of this year, Kast participated in the special declaration on the Malvinas. That text reaffirmed the terms of the 1996 declaration and reiterated support for Argentina’s «legitimate rights.» It also stated that unilateral measures for the exploration and exploitation of natural resources in the disputed area are not compatible with United Nations Resolution 31/49.

Crónica adds that Barros’s statements came in the context of the debate over a maritime route between southern Chile and the Malvinas. The minister said that the Magallanes community has the right to develop commercial activities and that he saw no problem with such operations going ahead. The project, promoted by local authorities in Magallanes and business sectors, seeks to establish a maritime corridor with the islands. Radio Polar had already reported in September on the support of the mayor of Punta Arenas, Claudio Radonich, for a commercial opening with the islands.

Documented chronology

1. February 15, 1990: Joint Declaration of Madrid. The Foreign Ministry mentions it as a precedent for bilateral commitments on confidence-building measures.
2. September 25, 1991: Joint Declaration that replaces Annexes I, II, III and IV of the Madrid declaration. The Foreign Ministry cites it as the instrument in force that the HMS Medway allegedly violated.
3. July 12, 1993: Joint Declaration of Buenos Aires and London. The Foreign Ministry mentions it as the text that updates section I.2, point «b,» on confidence-building measures.
4. July 13 (year not specified in the source): Submission of the formal protest note to the Embassy of the United Kingdom over the movements of the HMS Medway.
5. June of this year: Mercosur Summit in Asunción. Kast participates in the special declaration on the Malvinas that supports Argentine rights.
6. September (year not specified): Radio Polar reports on the support of the mayor of Punta Arenas for a commercial opening with the islands.
7. Date not specified in the material: Barros’s interview with Radio Polar where he describes the United Kingdom as a «friendly country» that has exercised sovereignty «for 200 years.»

Between the first milestone and the last, what changed is the focus of the conflict: from the bilateral agreements of the 1990s on confidence-building measures to a formal protest over an unnotified naval movement and, in parallel, to statements by a Chilean official recognizing a «de facto situation» of British sovereignty. The Argentine source focuses on the violation of diplomatic commitments; the Chilean source, on the position of a minister who supports Argentina’s claim but conditions any solution on the will of the islanders.

What is confirmed and what is not

The Argentine Foreign Ministry confirms the submission of the protest note and the legal grounds it invokes. Crónica confirms Barros’s statements and the context of the radio interview. However, neither source allows independent verification of the movements of the HMS Medway or the British reaction. There is also no official Chilean confirmation of Barros’s words beyond the journalistic reproduction. The primary source is the Foreign Ministry statement; the Crónica article is a secondary source citing statements by an official.

The material does not report the exact date of Barros’s interview or the year of the protest note. Nor does it specify whether the maritime route between southern Chile and the Malvinas has official approval or is only a project under discussion.

Value module: comparative chronology

Document: Joint Declaration of September 25, 1991 (cited by the Foreign Ministry). Body and date: Argentine Foreign Ministry, statement without explicit date. Unit: years elapsed between milestones. Values used: 1990, 1991, 1993, 2025 (June), 2025 (September). Operation: difference between 1991 and 2025 = 34 years since the declaration that Argentina invokes as being in force. No monetary unit is converted. No percentages are calculated because the material does not offer comparable denominators.

What to watch

The key thing to watch is the official response of the United Kingdom to Argentina’s protest note and whether Chile formally clarifies the scope of its Defense Minister’s statements. It is also worth observing whether the June Mercosur special declaration translates into a coordinated position or whether differences among the members deepen. The evolution of the maritime route between Magallanes and the Malvinas is another point to monitor, as it could have commercial and diplomatic implications.