Vatican, March 18 (RHC-MERCOPRESS) -- Argentine President Cristina Fernández has criticized what she dubbed a “double standard” from Britain, which on the one hand condemned the Crimea referendum and on the other hand supported the presumed right of Malvinas residents to hold a vote on their future.

Cristina Fernández said: “In Crimea the right to self determination is not valid and on the Malvinas Islands it is, what's the standard?”

The Argentine president stressed that Britain's stance over the disputed Ukrainian region “does not stand up to the slightest analysis.”

President Cristina Fernández is in the Vatican, where she met Monday with Pope Francis.

It was the third time the Argentine head of state and the pope meet since he was elected pontiff a year ago, on March 13, 2013.

After the meeting with the pope Cristina travelled to France, where she is to meet with her French counterpart, President Francois Hollande.