A Chilean company currently operates a flight from Santiago to the Falklands every Saturday via Punta Arenas in southern Chile. Once a month, the same flight also stops in Rio Gallegos in Argentina.

The issue of oil has also proved hugely divisive. The seas surrounding the islands are rich in natural resources but Argentina has restricted exploration in the area.

A relaxation of rules regarding drilling could open up a key economic lifeline for the Falklands and enable more development. Responding to the letter, Argentine foreign minister Susana Malcorra said Mr Macri had also written to Mrs May.

She said the Argentine government was examining the British PM's requests, adding: "We've begun discussing the possibility of establishing new flights. We've been exploring ways to do it. It still is not settled.

"The United Kingdom has expressed interest in looking at the issue of the hydrocarbon law. Our legal departments are studying the matter."

Mrs Malcorra said the possibility of a meeting between Mrs May and Mr Macri at the G20 summit in China next month was under discussion. “We think it is a good opportunity for a first conversation,” the minister said. However, Argentina still retains its claim over the Falklands. In a statement released on the 34th anniversary of Argentina’s invasion of the Falklands earlier this year, Mr Macri said that the Falklands are “inexorably ours”.