Mark Kent: "We must lift all the sanctions of the United Kingdom and Argentina because they do not allow to get out of the conflict"

The British ambbadador Mark Kent He has become almost a celebrity in Argentine politics. It has more than 46,000 followers on Twitter, active contact with Argentines and a close connection with the government. From this popular figure position is convinced that London and Buenos Aires must "continue to build bridges" to alleviate the Falklands conflict. Not only that: "You must lift all the penalties and restrictions imposed by both parties as this does not help anything from one place to the other."said the British diplomat.

For Kent, it is time for Argentina to lift the sanctions imposed by Cristina Kirchner's government on companies operating in the Malvinas region. "This would be convenient as we are in a process of dialogue and good relations," said the UK ambbadador during a dialogue with Infobae.

In addition, the British diplomat said that "the United Kingdom will be willing to collaborate with the government that will come" with regard to a possible victory for Cristina Kirchner.

-What does it mean to be the most famous foreign ambbadador in Argentina?

-I do not know if it's like that. I feel very comfortable in Argentina. We are doing a very important job here, in terms of investment, cooperation in humanitarian work. And we try to do things very well to improve relationships. We do public diplomacy. In a world characterized by more technology, people want more contact with public officials to feel closer. Here in Argentina, they like this direct contact.

– Have you had any problems with ultra-nationalist Argentineans for being ambbadador of the United Kingdom?

-Not that much. I would not say that here I can have more problems than elsewhere. We know that social networks around the world can be very conflictual. But it's not worth discussing with people who will not change positions. In any case, most people want to have a contact. The important thing is to know that our relations with Argentina are very diverse. From culture, sports, science and technology. We are working on it. Exchange experiences with people too.

Are you confident that the dream of a real dialogue between the islanders and the Argentinians around the Falklands will be realized?

-There are several problems in the bilateral relationship. One of them is the theme of the islands and the islanders themselves have their rights. But I think that in general terms in the world, we must look for bridges of dialogue. And it suits the islanders, the United Kingdom and Argentina. This is happening all over the world today because there is a lot of conflict. I think you have to look for empathy. Because there was a lot of conflict involved and that's why we need to seek dialogue.

-Do you see Macri talking to the islanders?

-That they must be generated. I can not say what the chair should do.

-I asked him because the other days, during a meeting with relatives of soldiers fallen in the war, the president said that it was necessary to speak to the British and the islanders …

-I think it's always good to have a contact. For example, in the case of humanitarian aid for the identification of soldiers, I think the role of the islanders themselves was relevant. We see a lot of empathy on both sides. We worked a lot with the parents, with the parents' commission of fallen soldiers. We worked as a team, with the great support of Eduardo Eurnekian, with Kurolovic, with Claudio Avruj and his team, the Chancellery and with so many others. The good thing about this is that when you get together, you can get good empathy and do great things.

-The United Kingdom has made the gesture to allow the shipment of British military spare parts to Argentina. Do you expect Argentina to make another similar move, for example by lifting sanctions against companies that decide to operate in the Malvinas?

-I believe that when we anchored the two parties in this roadmap, in the declaration we signed in 2016, we must lift all the sanctions and restrictions of both parties because it does not help to leave the place troubled.

– Does this mean that you expect Argentina that it lifts these penalties?

-Yes, because we are in a process of good relations.

-What weight in the United Kingdom the case of the Falklands currently?

-It has been recognized all the humanitarian work and that they see it with very good eyes. But of course, at that moment, people are very attentive to what will happen with Brexit in the UK. They are looking at what is happening in Parliament and in the European Union. The citizen is focused on this these days.

-C is to say that today the issue of the Falklands is not a point on the agenda for the British …

– At this moment, the central subject is Brexit.

– And he thinks that Brexit can not harm the islanders in its position before the European Union that had previously sheltered them in the Lisbon Treaty?

-The idea of ​​Brexit is to have a more active role in the world. This gives us the opportunity to have more free trade agreements with Mercosur, for example. I do not see that it will influence the islands. You have to see the final agreement but I do not think Brexit will change the situation of the islands.

-But the islanders are not going to have the support of the European Union with the Brexit …

-I do not think so. Islanders will continue to count on the support of the European Union. I do not see that it will change. What is changing is the architecture of our relations with the European Union.

– What is the relationship with Argentina in terms of cooperation on sensitive issues such as the fight against drug trafficking or terrorism?

-We have very good relations between our countries in terms of collaboration in the fight against terrorism, drug trafficking, cybersecurity, human rights. We have a very broad program. We have many exchanges with the Ministry of Security and other departments.

– To what extent do you think that extreme nationalisms have an impact on bilateral relations?

-We have good exchanges with the Argentine government. We discuss step by step all that we can improve.

– Will there be another meeting between Macri and Prime Minister May?

-We had an important meeting in December at the G20 and it went very well. At the moment, Theresa May is focusing on Brexit negotiations. Maybe in the G20 in Japan, they can be found.

-What will happen if Cristina Kirchner wins the elections to bilateral relations, taking into account that the former president was very critical of the United Kingdom?

– I will not comment on hypothetical cases, let alone on domestic policy issues. Argentina has an election year and we do not even know what the candidates will be. But we are willing to work with any elected government or president. We are ready to cooperate and collaborate with everyone.

-But it would not be the same for you to work with this government as with the eventual government of Cristina Kirchner …

-I will not speculate on this.

– For you, Macri is it identical to Cristina Kirchner?

– This is what the ambbadadors are for, working with all governments. I will not choose the government of Argentina, the Argentineans will choose and we will be willing to work with the coming government.

– Can the agreement on humanitarian aid be extended to the new appearance of burials to identify more soldiers in the Falklands?

-We have an agreement that was closed in 2016 and I can say that we are very strong in this direction and that any other humanitarian work that we need, we are ready to collaborate. If there is an order from Argentina, we will do whatever is necessary to collaborate.

– Do you think there will be agreements on the theme of fishing Malvinas?

-We have seen from both sides a collaboration to fight against illegal fishing. We are on this path in terms of scientific collaboration. Always place the question of sovereignty under an umbrella. But we continue in the direction of mutual collaboration.

– And with the exploitation of hydrocarbons?

-We must continue to work and we will see what happens in this area.

-What is the most positive and negative thing you find in the agreement with the Argentines?

-The most positive is the humor of the Argentines. The porteños have the same humor as the British.

– You will not tell me that he saw nothing negative that the Argentines have?

-Well, something negative is meat in excess. I think too much meat is very bad for me.

– Have you had problems with Argentines who have a bad image of the British?

-No, I have hardly had any problems. I do not see that here it is different from other places. It's our job as diplomats. We must work for dialogue and we can always look for common ground and bridges. Once you have good relationships, it is easier to manage the conflicting points.

– Do not challenge him at the Foreign Office for tweets or the moving activity that he has here?

-Well … We have different points but the important thing is the diplomatic relations. I think the work we have done over the years has been very positive. Even the work of Argentina's ambbadador to London, Carlos Cersale, has been very good. I think we are adapting our work to new opportunities around the world.