Davos, January 23 (RHC-teleSUR), -- British Prime Minister David Cameron told Argentine President Mauricio Macri on Thursday that the Malvinas Islands, also known as the Falkland Islands, will remain in British hands.   

Macri previously stated that he had no interest to negotiate the question of the British territory, which former president Cristina Fernandez had maintained were sovereign.    

Cameron confirmed his position at a meeting in Davos, Switzerland, among leaders at the World Economic Forum.   

The Malvinas Islands, located 480 kilometers off Argentina’s southeast coast, have been held by the United Kingdom since the 19th century despite calls from numerous quarters for the land to be returned to Argentina.

Before Cameron’s statement, the leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, called for establishing a meaningful dialogue on the sovereignty of the Malvinas Islands, which is a key point in relations between London and Buenos Aires. 

99.8 percent of the islanders voted to remain under British control in a 2013 referendum. Fernandez dismissed the vote as a “parody.”

The South American country issued a statement last year reaffirming its claim to the territory of the Malvinas Islands and its readiness to negotiate with London.