Argentina terminated the 2016 joint statement with the United Kingdom, known as the Foradori-Duncan pact, the country’s foreign ministry said in early March, adding that the pact was incompatible with the UN General Assembly resolution, which recommended that both parties refrain from making decisions that entail unilateral changes in the dispute over the islands' sovereignty. At the same time, Argentina invited the UK to resume negotiations on the islands and transfer them to the agenda of the United Nations. Later, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly responded by saying that the islands belong to the UK.
"President Alberto Fernandez met today with the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres … During the meeting, which took place at the headquarters of the international organization in New York, the head of state reiterated the request of the Argentine government to ‘resume negotiations in order to find, as soon as possible, a peaceful solution to the dispute over sovereignty of the Malvinas Islands," the office said in a statement.
There is a long-standing dispute between Argentina and the UK concerning sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. In 1982, a war broke out between the countries, which lasted several weeks and ended with the defeat of the Latin American country.
The Foradori-Duncan pact was concluded in 2016 following the talks between Argentine Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Foradori and his British counterpart, Alan Duncan. The joint statement spoke of the possibility of direct flights between the Falkland Islands and third countries with a transfer to Argentina. The document, which did not make it through the Argentine Congress, also indicated that the governments at the time of President Mauricio Macri and UK Prime Minister Theresa May planned to strengthen the economic growth and development of the Falklands, including trade, fishing, navigation, and hydrocarbon production.