UK replies to Milei: "not the behaviour we expect of a democracy"

The United Kingdom has requested that a written statement be included in the official record of the UN General Assembly, addressing Argentine President Javier Milei's address. The British mission to the organization submitted the text under agenda item eight of the 81st session, following Milei's reference to sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands.

This response mirrors the procedure used by the UK in 2012 in reply to then President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. The United Kingdom maintains its firm stance on its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and their surrounding maritime areas, stating that Argentina continues to deny the applicability of the fundamental human right to self-determination for its inhabitants.

The UK's statement directly refutes Milei's legal arguments, asserting that General Assembly Resolutions 2065 and 31/49 do not hinder economic development or diminish the Islanders' right to self-determination. The UK further contends that calls for negotiations do not alter the obligation for nations to respect the legally binding right to self-determination.

The document also addresses the dispute over oil companies, labeling the attempts to obstruct and harass international companies as an illegal exercise of extra-territorial jurisdiction and inconsistent with free trade. The statement highlights the 2013 referendum in which 99.8% of the population voted to maintain the current status, with a 92% turnout, and notes that the referendum was supervised by independent observers from Canada, the United States, New Zealand, and three South American countries.

The statement concludes a 48-hour sequence, following Prime Minister Andy Burnham's mention of the archipelago as a challenge to the rule of law and Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quiro's right of reply, which disputed the illegal British occupation dating back to 1833. Argentina currently has 60 administrative proceedings pending, with no penalties applied, and three criminal complaints against ten companies and their directors, none of which have been proven.