The Embassy of the United Kingdom in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

is the chief diplomatic mission of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. The embassy also represents the British Overseas Territories in Argentina. It is located on Dr Luís Agote street in the Recoleta neighbourhood.Reino Unido de Gran Bretaña e Irlanda del Norte, Embajada en la República Argentina
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship, Argentina The current British Ambassador to Argentina is Kirsty Hayes. There were previously British Consulates in the cities of

Rosario Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city, located northwest of Buenos Aires on the west bank of the Paraná River, is the third-most populous city in the ...

, La Plata, Bahia Blanca, Santa Fe and Mendoza. Due to the turbulent nature of

Argentina–United Kingdom relations Foreign relations between the Argentina, Argentine Republic and the United Kingdom, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland have existed for over two centuries. Both countries established diplomatic relations on 15 December 1823. ...

, the embassy has frequently been the site of protests against the actions of the UK government, particularly over the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; ), commonly referred to as The Falklands, is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and from Cape Dub ...

, over which Argentina claims sovereignty.

History

The British government acquired the building for use as an embassy in 1945, which had been built in 1917 as the residence of Carlos Madero, in an Edwardian style. Between 1982 and 1990, following the

Falklands War The Falklands War () was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British Overseas Territories, British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and Falkland Islands Dependenci ...

, there were no diplomatic relations between the UK and Argentina.

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

became the protecting power for the UK in Argentina, taking over responsibility not only for the former embassy but two consulates-general. The former British Embassy building remained open, but was known as the British Interests Section of the Swiss Embassy in Buenos Aires and was staffed by Anglo Argentines. However, a small number of senior British diplomats remained. The former Argentine Embassy in London came under the Brazilian flag during the same period. Under the arrangement, the two Interests Sections were unable to have direct communications with their home governments, instead being required to communicate through their embassies of the protecting power, for example, the British Embassy in

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

, Switzerland. Similarly, until 1989, the diplomats were unable to have direct contacts with their respective foreign ministries, instead having to go through the Swiss and Brazilian embassies.Britain, Argentina OK Steps to Normalize Ties : 7 Years After War, Both Sides Agree to Set Aside Touchy Issue of Sovereignty Over the Falklands
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', 19 August 1989 The residence was visited by various members of the royal family, such as Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Harry. Diana, Princess of Wales and Richard Branson spent their stays in the city at the residence.

References

{{Coord, 34.5850, S, 58.3961, W, source:wikidata, display=title

Buildings and structures in Buenos Aires Argentina–United Kingdom relations

History

See also

References