Argentine president vows to regain Falkland Islands – but concedes they are currently in hands of UK

The Falklands islands were at the centre of a war between the UK and Argentina in 1982

The president of Argentina has warned the dispute over the Falkland Islands could last decades, as he conceded the territory was part of Britain – for now.

Argentina’s president Javier Milei vowed he would return the islands, known in Argentina as Los Malvinos, to the control of his country, but said he accepted they were “in the hands of the UK".

It was 42 years ago when an army was sent from Argentina to conquer the islands, which had been under British control for more than 150 years. Then-prime minister Margaret Thatcher responded by sending British troops in to defend the territory, beginning a two-month conflict that saw 900 people die.

Argentina's president Javier Milei delivers a speech during a ceremony to commemorate the 42nd anniversary of the war between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Malvinas/Falkland islands, at the Cenotaph to the Fallen of the Malvinas War in Buenos Aires, last month. Picture: AFP via Getty Images

Past leaders of Argentina have historically maintained the archipelago belongs to them.

Mr Milei said Argentina did “not want conflict”, but laid out a “road map” for the islands to become Argentine, criticising politicians who “beat their chests demanding sovereignty of the islands, but without any result”.

He said a visit to the islands by foreign secretary Lord David Cameron earlier this year, when he said the sovereignty of the islands was not up for discussion, was “not a provocation”.

Mr Milei said: “If that territory is now in the hands of the UK, he has a right to do that. We are not going to relinquish our sovereignty, nor are we going to seek conflict with the United Kingdom.”

He added: “They might not want to negotiate today. At some later point, they might want to. Many positions have changed over time.”

Mr Milei suggested the process could take decades, apparently in reference to the British handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997.

The islands are a self-governing British Overseas Territory. The UK is responsible for foreign affairs, retaining the power "to protect UK interests and to ensure the overall good governance of the territory". The British claim to sovereignty dates from 1690, when they made the first recorded landing on the islands – while the United Kingdom has exercised defacto sovereignty over the islands almost continuously since 1833.