- You are here:
- Home
- › Travel & living abroad
- › Travel advice by country
- › Country profiles
- › South America and South Atlantic Islands
- › Argentina
South America and South Atlantic Islands
Argentina |
|
|
Last Reviewed: 20 August 2009 |
Country information
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Relations with Neighbours
Argentina is a member of the regional common market bloc Mercosur, established in 1991, which seeks to remove barriers to trade between its members. Mercosur is the world's fourth biggest integrated market and the second largest in the Americas after the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA) with a combined population of about 200 million people. Trade flows between Argentina and the other members (Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Venezuela) have increased significantly during the last 5 years. The dispute over the settlement of 2 pulp mills in Uruguay has caused the relationship between the 2 countries to deteriorate somewhat.
Relations with the International Community
Argentina plays an active role on the international stage on human rights, sustainable development, counter proliferation and trade. It was elected to the Human Rights Council in May 2008. It was a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council until end 2006. Argentine troops have been deployed on UN peacekeeping operations in Cyprus, Kosovo, the Middle East and Haiti, amongst other regions. It has a police contingent in Darfur. Argentina is a member of the key non-proliferation arrangements and is also a member of the Rio Group, World Health Organisation, International Labour Organisation, International Maritime Organisation, Intelsat and Inmarsat. It is a party to many international environmental agreements, including the Antarctic Treaty (whose Secretariat is in Buenos Aires), Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection and Whaling. It played host to the tenth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in December 2004. It hosted an informal dialogue on climate change in El Calafate in September 2008.
Relations with the UK
Argentina has long historic links with the UK. British companies played a vital role in Argentina's commercial development during the 19th century. The railways, food processing plant and many of the financial services were developed and managed by British firms. A wide range of UK manufactured goods was exported to Argentina and the UK in turn was a major destination for Argentine products.
Diplomatic relations were restored in 1990 after an 8-year gap following the Falklands conflict. In 2007, the 25th anniversary of the conflict was commemorated with events in London and Stanley as well as in Argentina. Since 1990, South Atlantic issues have been discussed with the Argentine Government under a 'sovereignty umbrella' arrangement, which allows the UK and Argentina to protect their respective positions on sovereignty while seeking to make progress on practical matters of common interest such as fisheries and de-mining. The British Government's position is that there will be no negotiations over sovereignty unless and until that is the wish of the Islanders themselves. We remain committed to the right of the Falkland Islanders to determine their own future. The islands will be British for as long as their inhabitants wish to remain so.
Further details on UK/Argentine relations regarding the Falkland Islands can be found on the Falkland Islands Country Profile.
Cultural Relations with the UK
There is a strong British cultural influence in Argentina and a large Argentine-British community around Buenos Aires. There is also a strong Welsh-speaking Argentine-Welsh community in Chubut, Patagonia. Argentines made around 37,000 visits to the UK in 2008 with visits having increased by 16% in the last five years from 32,000 back in 2003.
Recent Inward Visits
- President Kirchner visited the UK in July 2003 to attend the Progressive Governance Summit.
- Mario Das Neves, Governor of Chubut, visited Wales in March 2007.
Recent Outward Visits
- Phil Woolas, Minister for Climate Change (DEFRA) visited to participate in the El Calafate Dialogue in September 2008
- John Mann MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Anti-Semitism, visited in August 2008.
- Baroness Vivien Stern visited Buenos Aires in June 2008 as part of a British Embassy Human Rights project supporting the implementation of the UN Optional Protocol Against Torture.
- The Duchess of Gloucester visited in February 2008 in her capacity as President of the Lawn Tennis Association, during the Davis Cup tie between Argentina and Britain.
- Sir Philip Robinson, President of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) visited in December 2007 under the UK Presidency.
- Sir Ronnie Flanagan, the UK's Chief Inspector of Constabularies, visited in September 2007.
- A cross-party group of MPs visited in September 2006.
- The First Minister for Wales, Rhodri Morgan, visited Buenos Aires in October 2005. Mr Morgan travelled to Trelew in the Patagonian province of Chubut to visit the annual Eisteddfod held by the Welsh community.
- Bill Rammell, former Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with responsibility for Latin America, visited Buenos Aires in February 2004.
Strategic Programme Fund
Argentina is a priority country under the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Strategic Programm Fund (SPF), through the 'Economic Reform' programme. SPF also funds several projects under the Human Rights programmes and 'Sustainable Development' programme. These programmes support projects which contribute towards improving economic and political governance, primarily in emerging markets and environmental democracy.
The Argentina programme represented an investment of some £600,000 in 2006/07. The fund is administered in Argentina through the British Embassy in Buenos Aires.
