Royal Navy accused of 'military incursion into Argentine waters' just hours after World Cup semi-final

Royal Navy accused of 'military incursion into Argentine waters' just hours after World Cup semi-final

Argentina has accused the Royal Navy of a "military incursion" into its waters just hours after the World Cup semi-final. Last night, the Argentine Foreign Ministry issued a furious statement revealing it had lodged a "formal note of protest" with the British embassy over the movements of HMS Medway. The vessel, which was "illegally stationed in the Malvinas Islands", had made its way into Argentina's waters earlier this month without telling the Argentines, the statement claimed. "The Argentine Government firmly rejects this British military incursion into areas under Argentine jurisdiction," it bristled. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say It then accused Britain of "deepening tensions in the South Atlantic", and claimed the so-called "incursion" was the latest in a "long series" of similar acts. Finally, it claimed the Navy was "hindering Argentina's efforts to move towards a peaceful and negotiated solution to the dispute" - despite a series of provocative statements from Argentine ministers in the last few days alone. On Sunday, Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno demanded Britain open talks on the sovereignty of the islands and branded the native Falkland Islanders an "artificially implanted" population. That came despite the fact that around 86 per cent of his own country's people descend from Europeans. Last night, Argentina's Vice President shared footage of soldiers invading the Falkland Islands and claimed the archipelago was Argentine after the semi-final. Victoria Villarruel had just hours earlier branded England "usurping pirates" ahead of the game. In this morning's statement, Argentina said it "reaffirmed, once again, its legitimate and imprescriptible sovereign rights over the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and the surrounding maritime areas". "By history, by law, and by conviction, the Falkland Islands are Argentine," it continued. HMS Medway arrived as the Royal Navy's permanently deployed presence in the South