The Argentine government has demanded that the United Kingdom stop a planned oil extraction project near the disputed Malvinas (Falkland) Islands. Buenos Aires announced that failure to do so will prompt an appeal to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.
Sea-news.az reports citing the press service of the Administration of the President of Argentina.
“Argentina has officially requested that the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland take the necessary steps within two weeks to prevent the commencement or continuation of activities aimed at extracting hydrocarbon resources on Argentina’s continental shelf. Should the United Kingdom ignore this demand within the specified timeframe, the Argentine Republic will apply to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea for provisional measures to safeguard its sovereign rights over the continental shelf,” the statement read.
It was noted that Argentine President Javier Milei instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and government legal teams to initiate arbitration proceedings under Annex VII of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea to halt the implementation of the “Sea Lion” oil project.
On September 3, during an address to the nation, Milei announced that he would submit a bill to parliament tightening sanctions against companies extracting oil in the Malvinas Islands. This response was triggered by the upcoming start of the “Sea Lion” oilfield development project by the UK’s Rockhopper Exploration and Israel’s Navitas Petroleum.
Subsequently, the Argentine government announced a decision to impose sanctions on 60 legal entities and individuals associated with hydrocarbon extraction in the disputed territory.
