Argentina backs Bolivia, rebukes UK ambassador in La Paz in diplomatic clash

President Javier Milei’s government waded into a diplomatic dispute between Bolivia and the United Kingdom on Friday, backing La Paz after comments by the British ambassador regarding support for Argentina’s sovereignty claim to the Malvinas (Falkland) Islands.

The Foreign Ministry in Buenos Aires, led by Pablo Quirno, backed Bolivia and criticised “unfortunate expressions” previously voiced by the UK ambassador in La Paz, Richard Porter, who had criticised Bolivia after its foreign minister voiced support for Argentina’s position.

The row began after a commemorative event in Plaza General San Martín in La Paz on April 1, one day before Argentina’s Day of the Veteran and the Fallen in the Malvinas War, which marks the anniversary of the 1982 war between the UK and Argentina.

At the event in the Bolivian capital, Carlos Paz Ide, the nation’s deputy foreign minister, reaffirmed support for Argentina’s sovereignty claim over the Malvinas Islands, the British Overseas Territory known in the UK as the Falklands that Buenos Aires claims as its own.

The Malvinas issue, Paz said, was “not only Argentina’s cause, but also a regional cause.” He reiterated Bolivia’s support for negotiations under United Nations resolutions to reach a peaceful solution to the sovereignty dispute.

After the event, Richard Porter, Britain’s ambassador in La Paz, posted a video on social media in which he described Bolivia’s position “disappointing and unacceptable.” The UK diplomatic insisted that sovereignty over the islands “is not in question.”

“The Falkland Islands are British, their sovereignty is not in question. In 2013, their inhabitants freely and democratically expressed their will in a referendum; 99.8 percent voted to remain British,” Ambassador Porter said in a video he posted on social media.

Porter said Bolivia’s statement amounted to interference in the United Kingdom’s internal affairs, escalating the tone of the dispute.

La Paz responded quickly, rejecting any interpretation characterising its position as interference. Bolivia’s Foreign Ministry said its statements were part of its nation’s legitimate exercise of foreign policy and noted its commitment to peace and support for negotiations based on international law.

The UK ambassador responded by saying he would not remain silent and would always defend his country’s interests “even with his life” – a phrase that Argentina’s Foreign Ministry later described as “unfortunate.”

Argentina’s Foreign Ministry then intervened, backing Bolivia and describing the ambassador’s remarks as “unfortunate.” The government thanked Bolivia for its support and said the Malvinas sovereignty claim was a regional issue backed by Latin American countries at various international forums.

The sovereignty of the Malvinas, a British overseas territory known in the UK as the Falklands, have been disputed since the 19th century. In 1982, Argentina – then under a military dictatorship – and the UK fought a brief war over the territory.

After 74 days of fighting that left 649 Argentines and 255 British soldiers dead, London regained control of the South Atlantic archipelago.