Argentina's Pacific-pact bid would make it a trade partner of the UK, raising a Falklands dilemma

MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Monday, June 29th 2026 - 08:30 UTC

Argentine FM Quirno's bid to join the CPTPP, a bloc the UK belongs to, revived questions over the Falklands, since a clause could extend the pact to the islands in the future.

Argentina's request to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) has reopened a question over its sovereignty claim to the Falklands, since the United Kingdom is a full member of that agreement. If it goes ahead, it would be the first trade pact of this magnitude, since the 1982 war, in which Argentina would share partner status with London outside traditional multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations or the World Trade Organization.

Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno formalized the country's intention to join the bloc in early June. Made up of twelve economies —among them Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom— it accounts for close to 13% of world gross domestic product. The initiative is part of the trade-opening strategy of Javier Milei's government and, according to official data, Argentine exports to those markets exceeded $16 billion in 2025.