Royal Navy admiral warns Argentina to 'wind its neck in and be quiet' amid claims Portsmouth warship broke Falklands peace pact

Outraged officials from the South American state reacted furiously to the presence of HMS Forth in the contested waters of the south Atlantic.

The new 2,000-tonne patrol ship arrived at the Falkland Islands at the beginning of the year and last week made the 850-mile trip to the remote archipelago of South Georgia for the first time.

But the ship – and her 60-strong crew’s presence – has reignited a long-standing war of words over who controls the region, which is a British territory.

Andres Dachary, secretary of the Malvinas, Antarctica and Islands of the South Atlantic of Tierra del Fuego condemned the UK’s military presence, claiming it was a ‘clear violation’ of the Zone of Peace and Cooperation of the South Atlantic and questioned why Britain was deploying vessels in the area during the coronavirus outbreak.

But Admiral Lord Alan West has accused the Argentine government of playing a hypocritical ‘sabre rattling’ game.

Speaking to The News today, the former top sailor – whose ship, HMS Ardent, was sunk during the fight to reclaim the islands from Argentina after they were invaded in 1982 – said: ‘The bottom line is that if they want to have peace and stability in the region, which they’re talking about, then the way to achieve it is to not sabre rattle.

‘It was the Argentinian, unprovoked invasion of a peaceful nation in 1982 that caused that problem in the region.

‘They’re the ones who are guilty of not going for peace and security in the region. This is just politicking within the Argentine, which is always very dangerous and unnecessary, particularly at this time of Covid-19.

‘There are more important things in the world. They ought to just wind their necks in, keep quiet and let things move forward in a nice, peaceful way.’

Mr Dachary claimed he represented ‘the voice of the people in Tierra del Fuego’ which ‘no longer accepts the passivity demonstrated by previous administrations’.

Speaking of HMS Forth’s arrival, he said: ‘It is extremely worrying that this occurs in these moments of health emergency that the planet is experiencing.

‘The countries, more than ever, are betting on cooperative actions.

‘However, the United Kingdom uses this moment to show its military power in the south Atlantic, in addition to hinting at the role that it assigns the islands of the south Atlantic as a gateway to Antarctica.’

HMS Forth is the first of the navy’s new, more advanced, second generation River-class offshore patrol ships, which are larger and better equipped than its predecessors.

Speaking of her role, a statement on the navy’s website said: ‘Her remit is to protect our nation’s interests at sea, whether that means safeguarding fishing stocks in UK waters, or offering reassurance and protection in the Falklands.

‘She also has a flight deck and is armed with an array of weaponry, meaning she can support a range of operations, from counter-piracy to anti-smuggling.’

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this story on portsmouth.co.uk. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to portsmouth.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit our Subscription page now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.