Argentine President Reiterates Sovereignty Claim To UK-Ruled Falkland Islands At UNGA

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th September, 2018) Argentine President Mauricio Macri reiterated the country's sovereignty claim to the UK-ruled Falkland Islands while addressing the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.

"I would like to reaffirm once again the legitimate and not time-barred sovereign rights of Argentina over the Malvinas islands, South Georgia Island and South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas," Macri said.

The president, however, stressed his commitment to a "new phase" of relations with the United Kingdom based upon mutual trust and a broad positive dialogue.

�The Falkland Islands, or Malvinas, as they are called in Argentina, remain the subject of a long-standing dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom, which led to an armed conflict in 1982. In March 2013, the Falkland Islands held a referendum on the status of the territory, with 99.8 percent of local residents preferring to remain a British overseas territory.