Swedish Foreign Minister, Carl Bildt tweeted on 11 March:
“Today people on Falkland Islands will express their view on whether they want the islands to remain part of the UK or not. We will listen.”
The answer was clear. On a 92% turnout, 99.8% voted to stay a British Overseas Territory.
This was not some Soviet-era style plebiscite. This was a clear affirmation of a desire, freely expressed, to remain British.
Here are some extracts from an article by a member of the Falkland Islands Assembly, which eloquently expresses the Islanders’ viewpoint.
The referendum sends a clear message to the international community – a resounding ‘yes’ to our desire to remain as an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom. This is the will of the people, a decision that has been expressed freely and unequivocally. It is also our fundamental democratic right, enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.
Our relationship with the UK is a modern relationship, based on democratic values, and it is constantly evolving. So are we. Like Argentina, our society is made up of European settlers. But, like Argentina, we are an open and increasingly cosmopolitan society. Over twenty nationalities voted in the referendum – including Argentines, Chileans, Americans, Russians and Britons: but all of them Falkland Islanders.
These Islands have been our home for nearly one hundred and eighty years. Some of us have family ties going back nine generations. We are a proud, flourishing community. And we are a people who have rights.
We will focus on growing our economy through the sustainable management of fisheries, tourism and agriculture, and we will strive to develop our oil industry in an environmentally responsible manner. We will continue to place the highest value on health and education, and helping our young people to reach their full potential.
There are opportunities for Argentina in this future. By working together, as we used to do, we can both be more successful and more prosperous. We are not there yet, but hopefully in time, we will be again.
So this week the Falkland Islands people have had their say. It is time for other nations around the world, who respect democracy and political freedoms, to stand up and lend us their support.