Minister Linares Attends Falkland Islands Remembrance Ceremony
The Minister for Housing, Employment, Youth and Sport, Steven Linares, represented Gibraltar in marking the 40th anniversary of the Liberation of the Falkland Islands from Argentine occupation in 1982.
A statement from the Government follows below:
Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands share mutual support for their respective right to self determination and a commitment to further the growing opportunities for commerce between the two countries. As part of the visit, Minister Linares met with officials and politicians to learn more about the issues, challenges and opportunities facing the Islands.
During the remembrance ceremony, Minister Linares laid a wreath atthe Liberation Monument on behalf of Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar and the People of Gibraltar, in memory of those who served during the war.
Minister Linares, together with the Falkland Islands Government Director of Health and Social Services Thomas Bale, unveiled a painting and plaque at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, commemorating the role of the SS Uganda in the Falkland Islands conflict. In Gibraltar in 1982, the SS Uganda was converted into a hospital support ship in under 65 hours and was deployed to the Falkland Islands Task Force.
Minister for Housing, Employment, Youth and Sport, the Hon Steven Linares MP, said: ‘It was an honour to travel to the Falkland Islands to pay the respects of Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar and the people of Gibraltar in remembrance of those who lost their lives in service of the liberation of the Falkland Islands. Gibraltar’s connection with the Falkland Islands is historic and long-lasting, and I look forward to further developing the links between our two countries.’
