The government of Germany rejected on Friday a claim by the Argentine Republic that a request from Lufthansa airline to fly over Argentina en route to the Falkland Islands it implied a recognition of said archipelago as Argentine territory.
Lufthansa, according to the agency Reuters, said he requested two flights in support of a polar research expedition because the normal route through Cape Town was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said the federal government’s position on the Falkland Islands hadn’t changed.
“The activities of private companies cannot be attributed to the Federal Republic of Germany and they have no international consequences “, said.
The Argentine government said that Lufthansa requested permission for two flights that must transport scientists and logistics support personnel from Hamburg to Mount Pleasant in the Falklands, where they will continue on board the ship “Polarstern” to Antarctica to conduct research on climate change.
Argentina said the German government also requested its permission for the Polarstern research ship mooring in Port Stanley, the capital of the British territory.
The two 15-hour flights are scheduled for February. March 1 and 30.
Argentina’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Lufthansa had asked its civil aviation authority and regional authorities to fly over Argentina and use the Argentine Patagonian city of Ushuaia as an alternative airport in case it could not land in the Malvinas.
The Foreign Ministry said that the German Embassy also requested authorization from the Argentine Naval Prefecture for the Polarstern ship to enter “Puerto Argentino”, the Argentine name for the capital of the Falklands, Port Stanley.
“The relevance of the Lufthansa request presented to the Argentine authorities is highlighted since it implies the recognition of the Malvinas Islands as part of the Argentine territory ”, said the Foreign Ministry.
Last year, Argentina renewed its push to reclaim the Falklands, appointing a Malvinas minister, saying it will redraw maps to emphasize its claim of use in schools and lobbying at the United Nations.
With information from Reuters
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