Buenos Aires:Argentina will pursue international arbitration against the UK concerning the Sea Lion oil project around the Falkland Islands, announced President Javier Milei on Monday.
According to Anadolu Agency, Milei instructed the Foreign Ministry and legal teams to initiate proceedings against the UK for what he termed the "illegal looting" of resources through the Sea Lion Project in the North Falkland Basin. He issued a warning that Buenos Aires would escalate the issue to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea if the UK does not cease the project within two weeks.
Milei emphasized Argentina's sovereignty claim over the Falkland Islands, stating that the islands are Argentine and should be defended with actions rather than words. He vowed to continue pursuing legal and diplomatic measures against the exploitation of resources around the islands.
The Argentine government views the hydrocarbon activities as unauthorized, citing its sovereignty claim over the territory and its surrounding waters. Recently, the Argentine Foreign Ministry lodged a formal protest with the British Embassy in Buenos Aires regarding the extension of offshore hydrocarbon licenses around the islands. The protest also addressed Navitas Petroleum Atlantic Limited's acquisition of a stake in the PL001 Block.
The companies involved plan to develop an offshore oil field in the North Falkland Basin, with production expected to commence in 2028. The sovereignty of the Falkland Islands has been a longstanding point of contention between Argentina and the UK, who have both claimed rights to the territory since the islands came under British control in 1833. The two nations engaged in a brief war over the islands in 1982, and while Argentina continues to assert its claim, the UK maintains that the islands are British territory.
President Milei has consistently advocated for defending Argentina's sovereignty claim through diplomatic channels while also seeking to establish closer economic relations with the islands' residents.