On this day in 1820, Marine Colonel David Jewett raised the Argentine flag for the first time in the Malvinas Islands, in a ceremony that reaffirmed the sovereign rights of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata over the archipelago.

Commanding the frigate Heroína, Jewett arrived at Puerto Soledad with the mission of taking possession of the islands on behalf of the Government of the United Provinces. The ceremony took place on November 6th, in the presence of the crews of various vessels in the area, and included a 21-gun salute and the reading of a proclamation announcing the exercise of Argentine authority over the territory.

This event was part of the process of asserting national sovereignty that began following the May Revolution of 1810 and the Declaration of Independence of 1816. During those years, the authorities of the United Provinces implemented various measures to exercise their jurisdiction over the territories of the South Atlantic, including the regulation of the exploitation of their natural resources.

The Argentine presence in the Malvinas Islands continued in the following years, until January 3rd, 1833, when British forces occupied the archipelago and displaced the Argentine authorities established there.

Since then, Argentina has maintained its claim to sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands, South Georgia, the South Sandwich Islands, and the surrounding maritime areas, and has upheld the need to reach a peaceful and negotiated solution to the dispute, in accordance with international law and United Nations resolutions.

206 years after the first raising of the flag, the Argentine flag continues to be a symbol of our country’s historic rights over the Malvinas Islands and of the enduring nature of the Malvinas Question as a national cause.