Lord Cameron to pay respects in memory of British lives lost in Falklands conflict

The Foreign Secretary will be using his upcoming visit to the Falkland Islands to pay his respects to the memory of the British personnel who served during the conflict in 1982.

Lord Cameron will meet Falkland Islanders and reiterate the UK's commitment to uphold their right of self-determination.

The conflict in the Falklands between Great Britain and Argentina claimed the lives of 255 servicemen, three islanders and 649 Argentinian personnel.

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Lord Cameron said: "The Falkland Islands are a valued part of the British family, and we are clear that as long as they want to remain part of the family, the issue of sovereignty will not be up for discussion.

"The Falkland Islanders should be proud of the modern, prosperous community they have built.

"The Islands are a thriving economy, where as well as farming and fishing, there is a priority given to conservation and sustainability."

The Foreign Secretary will pay his respects to all those British personnel who served and those who lost their lives during the conflict – and thank the UK military personnel who are serving on the Islands today.

Lord Cameron will also look at the Islanders' work towards protecting the millions of penguins that live across the islands.

The Falklands War was never officially declared but lasted for 74 days between 2 April and 14 June 1982.