page_title: Argentina–United Kingdom relations
section_title: Modern times
hierarchical_section_title: Argentina–United Kingdom relations / History / Modern times
caption_attribution_description: English: Cristina Fernández de Kirchner together with Gordon Brown, British Prime Minister. Español: Cristina Fernández junto al Primer ministro del Reino Unido, Gordon Brown.
context_page_description: Argentina–United Kingdom relations refers to foreign relations between the Argentine Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
  Both countries established diplomatic relations on 15 December 1823. Diplomatic relations were cut off before the Falklands War in 1982 and were reinstated in 1990. Post-war relations between the two countries improved significantly up until the mid-2000s. During the government of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, relations became increasingly tense, with Argentina reasserting their claims to the Falkland Islands. In 2016, British Prime Minister David Cameron and Argentine President Mauricio Macri held a meeting where they agreed to begin a new stage of dialogue and friendship between the two countries and reaffirming the strong relationship the two countries have historically.
  Argentina has an embassy in London and the United Kingdom has an embassy in Buenos Aires. The current British Ambassador to Argentina is Mark Kent and the current Argentine Ambassador to the United Kingdom is Renato Carlos Sersale di Cerisano.
  Both states are members of the G-20.
context_section_description: Since the mid-2000s, diplomatic relations between the UK and Argentina have become increasingly strained. In 2006, Argentina renewed claims to the Falkland Islands, citing concern over fishing and petroleum rights. On 28 March 2009, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown stated that there was "nothing to discuss" with Cristina Kirchner, the Argentine president, over sovereignty of the islands, when they met in Chile on his pre-2009 G-20 London Summit world tour. On 22 April 2009 Argentina made a formal claim to the UN to an area of the continental shelf encompassing the Falklands, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, and parts of Antarctica, citing 11 years worth of maritime survey data. The UK quickly protested against these claims.
  Since 2010, reports of British oil exploration around the Falkland Islands have caused a further downturn in UK–Argentine relations. In February 2010 the Argentine government announced that ships travelling to the Falklands (as well as South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands) would require a permit to use Argentine territorial waters. Despite the new restrictions, Desire Petroleum began drilling for oil on 22 February 2010, about 54 nautical miles (100 km, 62 mi) north of the Islands.
  Governments of South American countries have generally shown support for Argentina over the Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute in recent years. This is in contrast to the Falklands War when Britain was supported by Chile. In 2011 the Mercosur bloc agreed to close ports to ships flying the Falkland Islands flags, while British-flagged ships would continue to be allowed. The Unasur group of nations has asked the United Kingdom to pursue negotiations over the islands' sovereignty. On 19 March 2012, Peru announced that it was cancelling a visit by the Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose in support of Argentina's claim to the islands.
  At the G20 Summit in Mexico in June 2012, British Prime Minister David Cameron and Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner met unexpectedly in a corridor on the fringes of the G20 Summit and exchanged, at least in diplomatic terms, some rather heated words. Prime Minister Cameron told President Kirchner that she should "respect the views" of Falkland residents, who had announced the 2013 referendum, on the issue of future sovereignty of the island. President Kirchner then attempted to hand an envelope to the Prime Minister but he refused to accept it.
  In March 2013 the Falkland Islanders voted overwhelmingly in a referendum for the territory to remain British 1,513 to 3, 99.8% in favor of British control.  Argentina dismissed the Falkland Islands' sovereignty referendum. The UK Government urged Argentina and other countries to respect the islanders' wishes.
  On the 33rd anniversary of the invasion of the islands on 2 April 2015 Premier Oil, Rockhopper Exploration and Falkland Oil & Gas announced that they had found oil and gas in an offshore field to the north of the islands. On 3 April 2015 the Argentine Government announced that it was preparing to take legal action against the United Kingdom and the companies involved in oil exploration around the islands without Argentina's permission. On 8 April 2015 Argentina officially condemned British plans to boost Britain's military presence on the Falklands and that it would be pressing criminal charges against companies conducting oil and gas exploration in the islands.
  On 22 November 2015, after a tie in the first round of presidential elections on 25 October, Mauricio Macri won the first ballotage in Argentina's history, beating Front for Victory candidate Daniel Scioli and becoming president-elect. Macri is the first democratically elected non-radical or peronist president since 1916, although he had the support of the first mentioned. He took office on 10 December 2015. In April 2016, the Macri Government introduced austerity measures intended to tackle inflation and public deficits. Macri has struck a more conciliatory note with regards to the Falklands and appears to wish to have much more cordial relations with Britain, bu
caption: Former President Cristina Kirchner and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 2009.
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