Argentina–Spain relations

Eva Perón in Spain; 1947

In 1516, the first Spanish expedition to visit what is now Argentina was led by the explorer Juan Díaz de Solís. In 1536, the first Spanish settlement was created in the Río de la Plata basin. Since then, Argentina was formally incorporated into the Viceroyalty of Peru governed from Lima under the Spanish crown. In 1776, the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata was created with the head of government placed in Buenos Aires.

In May 1810, the May Revolution where Argentina declared its independence from Spain. For the next eight years, Argentina, led by José de San Martín, fought Spanish troops for independence. In 1824, Argentina obtained its independence. In 1863, a Treaty of Peace and Amity was signed and thus established diplomatic relations between the two nations.[1]

Since obtaining independence from Spain, diplomatic relations between the two nations have been stable. During the Spanish civil war, Argentina remained neutral and gave asylum to any Spanish citizen requesting it without regards to whether they were Republicans or Nationalists.[2] At the end of the war, Argentina maintained diplomatic relations with the government of General Francisco Franco. Maintaining diplomatic relations allowed for the first lady of Argentina Eva Perón to visit Spain in 1947 and donate five million tons of food to the Spanish people.[3]

After the death of General Franco in Spain in 1975, Argentina entered a period of military dictatorship between 1976–1983. In 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, also known as the Malvinas in Spanish. Spain recognized and supported the claims of Argentine territorial rights over the islands. In 2012, British documents were made declassified and stated that Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher feared that during the Falkland war, Spain would join Argentina by invading Gibraltar.[4]

A dispute arose in 2012, when Argentina sought to nationalize the energy company YPF, owned by the Spanish multinational company Repsol. Spain warned against such a move stating that it would harm bilateral relations if such a move were to happen.[5] On 16 April, Argentina's President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announced the nationalization of YPF, to which Spain warned of a "clear and decisive" response.[6] Since then, Argentina has recompensed the Spanish government and Repsol over the take over of YPF.[7]

In the 2010s an Argentine court accused Antonio González Pacheco, a former police inspector, of committing criminal acts during the Franco regime. He was sought for extradition by an Argentine judge in 2014.[8] María Romilda Servini had called for the indictment.[9] The request for extradition was refused by the Spanish High Court on the basis that the statute of limitations had run out on the accusation against him.[10]