Argentina’s Milei threatens arbitration over Falklands oil project
Javier Milei said Argentina would approach the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea if the UK did not stop the alleged exploitation within two weeks.
In a move that has drawn international attention, Argentina's President Javier Milei has threatened to take legal action against the United Kingdom over an oil project near the Falkland Islands. This comes nearly four decades after a brief but devastating war between the two nations in 1982, which resulted in the deaths of 255 British soldiers and 649 Argentine troops.
Milei's threat to sue the UK stems from Argentina's ongoing dispute over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, also known as Las Malvinas to Argentines. The two countries have been embroiled in this conflict for more than three decades, with both claiming exclusive rights to the territory.
The project in question is called Sea Lion, an oil field development initiative jointly undertaken by Israel's Navitas and Britain's Rockhopper. Despite Milei's claims, the companies involved have dismissed Argentina's threats, asserting that they possess valid exploration licenses issued by the UK. The Sea Lion project is situated approximately 220 kilometers (137 miles) from the Falkland Islands.
Milei has instructed his foreign ministry and legal teams to initiate arbitration proceedings against the UK, alleging that the British government has unlawfully seized resources through the Sea Lion Project in the North Falklands Basin. If the UK fails to halt what Milei considers illegal exploitation within two weeks, the Argentine president intends to take the matter to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.
Furthermore, Milei's administration has previously taken legal action against the project, contending that it infringes upon a UN resolution which calls for both sides to refrain from unilateral actions in the islands until their dispute is resolved. Since US President Donald Trump signaled a willingness to revisit the UK's historically neutral stance on the Falkland Islands, Buenos Aires has reinforced its claim over the territory.
In contrast, the British government maintains that it stands firmly behind the businesses operating near the Falklands. They argue that they have the right to develop the islands' natural resources as they see fit, citing legal and regulatory frameworks to support their position.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
