Argentina investigating official for drunkenly striking Falklands deal with U.K. diplomat

The Argentine government has ordered an internal investigation to determine whether a former top diplomat drunkenly agreed to closer cooperation on areas of mutual interest, including on the Falkland Islands, with British diplomats in 2016.

According to a report from MercoPress, Argentine Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero ordered the investigation of former Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Foradori after former Foreign Office Minister Ian Duncan published an autobiography titled “In the thick of it,” in which a drunken episode between Foradori and British delegation was discussed.

Cafiero’s investigation is expected to determine whether statements regarding Foradori were accurate and whether any crimes were committed when singing the infamous Foradori-Duncan statement on Sept. 13, 2016 under the government of conservative President Mauricio Macri.

The statement is a thorn in the side of the Fernandez government as it has long maintained that the Falklands, or Malvinas, belong to Argentina.

“The South Atlantic Dialogue will seek to build cooperation in areas of mutual interest. Of course, this will not include the issue of sovereignty. The UK continues to strongly support the rights of the Falkland Islanders and our position on sovereignty has not changed - there can be no dialogue on this unless the Falkland Islanders so wish,” the statement read.

In his memoirs, the former foreign office minister recalls meeting with British Ambassador Mark Kent to review what would later be known as the Foradori-Duncan statement.

According to Duncan, the British embassy’s well-stocked wine cellar made “quite a comfortable backdrop for a diplomatic meeting and we met there with deputy foreign minister Carlos Foradori”.

“A great back curtain for the delicate negotiations to ensure additional flights to the Falklands; for millions of reasons the cooperation of Argentina is required for any link through the land mass”

As Duncan recalls, as more bottles were opened, negotiations between the two parties improved significantly. Eventually, at about 2 a.m., the two men shook hands and closed negotiations after reaching an agreement.

The following day, Duncan recalled:

“Mark Kent tells me that Foradori just rang on the phone to tell him that the night before he was so drunk he couldn't remember all the details. As an authentic British gentleman, Mark reminded him what had happened and he had agreed to, faithfully and with no adornments. So, I think we continue on the right track.”