Alberto Fernández headed the main ceremony for the 40th anniversary of the beginning of the Malvinas war.

At the Malvinas Museum in the city of Buenos Aires, the President affirmed that the islands "were, are and will be Argentine".

In this context, he urged the British government to comply with United Nations Resolution 2065, which recognizes the territorial dispute and urges the parties to negotiate a diplomatic solution.

He also questioned London for what he described as "unjustified military presence" in the South Atlantic archipelago.

The presidential speech ended an hour-long ceremony in which veterans of the 1982 war were decorated as well as relatives of the fallen.

In this context, the President asked Argentines to recognize the "unequalled courage" of the soldiers who fought in Malvinas.

He praised the bravery with which they defended national sovereignty in a war that, according to him, was a decision taken by the Junta behind the back of a people they tried to "manipulate and confuse".

But the President emphasized that the Argentine combatants: "even in defeat they showed an extraordinary fortitude".

"May the Malvinas veterans never again fall into oblivion and silence on the part of any government", said the Head of State.

The ceremony in the Argentine capital was attended by three former South American presidents: José "Pepe" Mujica of Uruguay, Evo Morales of Bolivia and Fernando Lugo of Paraguay.

In mentioning them, President Fernandez thanked the Latin American nations for their support to Argentina's claim of sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands, usurped by the United Kingdom since 1833.