Relationship dossier
Argentina
United Kingdom
Relationship assessment
Practical cooperation coexists with a persistent sovereignty dispute over the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas).
Argentina toward United Kingdom
-35Argentina has maintained its sovereignty claim to the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), including through diplomatic efforts at the United Nations, while restoring relations with the United Kingdom in 1990 and pursuing practical cooperation. A 2016 bilateral understanding addressed trade, travel, fisheries and hydrocarbons, but the sovereignty dispute remains unresolved.
United Kingdom toward Argentina
-35The United Kingdom restored diplomatic relations with Argentina in 1990 and has pursued practical cooperation, including through the 2016 bilateral understanding on trade, travel, fisheries and hydrocarbons. It continues to administer the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and supports the islanders’ right to self-determination, opposing Argentina’s sovereignty claim.
Overall relationship
-30The relationship combines recurring practical cooperation and restored diplomatic engagement with a durable, high-profile sovereignty dispute. The 1982 war and continuing disagreement over the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) remain structural constraints, while bilateral understandings have enabled cooperation on practical matters.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Argentina and the United Kingdom maintain diplomatic relations and have pursued practical cooperation, including agreements on trade and travel. Their relationship is persistently constrained by Argentina’s claim to the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and the United Kingdom’s administration of the islands and support for their residents’ self-determination. The 1982 war remains a central historical feature of the dispute.
Areas of tension
- Sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas).
- The United Kingdom’s administration of the islands and support for islanders’ self-determination, opposed by Argentina’s sovereignty claim.
- Disagreement over hydrocarbon exploration and fisheries around the islands.
Key developments
Argentina and the United Kingdom restored diplomatic relations after the 1982 war.
The governments issued a joint understanding addressing practical cooperation, including trade, travel, fisheries and hydrocarbons, without resolving the sovereignty dispute.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of practical cooperation agreed in recent decades are unclear.
- The durability of periods of bilateral cooperation has varied with changes in government.