President Javier Milei announced Thursday that he will send a bill to Congress seeking to stiffen sanctions for companies that conduct or support activities in the waters near the Malvinas (Falkland) Islands without previous Argentine authorisation.
Reiterating the nation’s sovereignty claim, the head of state leader claimed that the “winds of change” are in Argentina's favour.
He also announced extra funding for the construction of a new naval base in Tierra del Fuego, the closest province to the islands.
“We are going to increase the Defence Ministry’s resources with the priority aim of building a naval base in Tierra del Fuego and enhancing communications capabilities,” said the President.
Milei, 55, delivered the news in a ‘Cadena Nacional’ nationwide broadcast, which all free-to-air channels were obliged to run.
The remarks, which are sure to raise tensions with authorities on the islands and the British government, were made just days after US President Donald Trump indicated that Washington is open to reviewing its position over Argentina’s sovereignty claim over the South Atlantic archipelago.
"There are winds of change in the world that are favourable to our claim," Milei said in the address, highlighting Trump’s remarks.
He vowed to deploy “all the State's tools – diplomatic, economic, judicial and legal – to deter state and non-state actors who violated [Argentina’s] sovereignty” over the Malvinas.
“The Malvinas Islands are Argentine by history and by right; there is no question about it,” Milei stated at the start of his address.
"The islands have formed part of our territory since the very beginnings of our nation. In 1833, the United Kingdom occupied them, expelled the Argentine authorities and established a colonial situation that continues to this day," he began.
“It is not enough simply to maintain our claim: the Argentine state has an obligation to use all available diplomatic, economic, judicial and legal tools to defend our sovereignty and our resources,” Milei emphasised.
"As a population settled in an occupied territory, they have no legitimate right to self-determination. Any argument based on a referendum is invalid,” he added.
In this regard, he stated that Argentina has consistently maintained its claim to sovereignty over the years: “Because, as stated in the National Constitution, in its first transitional clause, the Argentine nation reaffirms its legitimate and inalienable sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands.”
Sanctions
Milei said that his proposed bill would sanction companies operating in the archipelago, banning them from activity in Argentina and would be banned from
“I will sign a decree to speed up the sanctioning procedures imposed by Law 26,659 against those involved in oil exploration initiatives,” he continued.
The self-described “anarcho-capitalist” also took a swipe at Britain, saying “it is clear they are on a path of decline,” in contrast to Argentina.
According to local media reports, the government’s bill is linked to the development of the Sea Lion offshore oil project in the waters near the islands.
The project is being led by British company Rockhopper Exploration and Israel's Navitas Petroleum, which plans to extract hydrocarbons from waters near the British-controlled archipelago, over which Argentina claims sovereignty.
The project's development has once again focused attention on economic activities in the waters close to the islands.
Flanked by Cabinet members during his broadcast, Milei assured Argentina would not "stand idly by" and announced tougher sanctions on firms linked to Malvinas oil projects.
On Tuesday, Argentine war veterans and environmental lawyers filed a lawsuit to halt the project.
Milei said the project violated a United Nations resolution calling on both sides to desist from unilateral actions in the Falklands while the dispute is ongoing.
"We will not allow it," he said.
"If we allow it, we will be creating an incentive for the British government to deepen the occupation of the islands and the exploitation of our resources."
Earlier in the day Milei had made a flying visit to Chile, which had included a meeting with its President José Antonio Kast, when the latter declared his country's support for Argentina's sovereignty claim.
Posting on social media prior to the speech, the President reacted angrily to those criticising the decision to address the nation.
“What cause could be more important and strategic to the nation’s vital interests than the Malvinas issue?" the head of state wrote in a post on X. “Or could it be that there is simply a group of human shits (95 percent) who will attack the government even if it means defending foreign interests? They should be ashamed of themselves.”
‘Review every position’
On Monday, US President Donald Trump suggested that the United States could review its position over the British-controlled archipelago, which Argentina claims as its own.
"I always review every position. That's just one of many," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked if the United States was reviewing its position on the islands.
Trump’s comment came in the wake of media reports claiming that Washington had threatened to withdraw its support for Britain's sovereignty claim if London does not increase defence spending.
The proposal concerning the South Atlantic archipelago, over which Britain and Argentina went to war in 1982, was among measures being drawn up by the Pentagon to incentivise NATO allies to meet spending pledges, The Daily Telegraph reported last week.
Washington currently recognises Britain's de facto administration of the islands but maintains a neutral position on the competing sovereignty claims.
The US State Department told the AFP news agency in April when the first reports emerged of a possible review that "our position on The Islands remains one of neutrality."
But the Pentagon review could give Britain "special attention", including the possibility of Washington opposing its sovereignty claim outright, The Telegraph reported.
Speaking on Tuesday, Milei described Trump’s remarks as “very significant.”
Echoing those thoughts, Santiago Caputo, one of Milei’s top advisers, wrote on X: “England is the past. Argentina is the future. It is healthy that the United States review their stance on the Malvinas. It would be strange if they did not. One cannot expect less from a strategic ally. The Malvinas is a sacred cause for Argentines.”
UK PM vows ‘unwavering commitment’
Downing Street responded to developments by reiterating British support for the Falkland Islands government and its right to self-determination.
“The people of the Falkland Islands are British and have the right to determine their own future. They have expressed their wish to remain a British overseas territory and our commitment to them is unwavering,” said a spokesperson for Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Speaking prior to Milei’s national broadcast, David Cairns, London’s ambassador in Buenos Aires, reiterated that position.
“The British government is very clear: the people who live on the islands have the right to decide their own future,” Cairns told the Córdoba-based Cadena 3 station in an interview.
“The war was very difficult for those who live on the islands,” said the UK ambassador to Argentina, recalling the 1982 South Atlantic conflict. “Those who live on the islands will decide.”
Asked directly about Trump’s remarks, Cairns said he had heard the comments. “I heard President Trump say that the United States can review all its diplomatic positions around the world, and that is his right as president,” he said, adding that he thought the position would remain unchanged.
Arguing that the UK and Argentina needed to develop a “longer history” of cooperation, Cairns said the Falkland Islands Government had the right to use its natural resources and stressed that the firms involved in the Sea Lion development were private and independent of the British government.
Challenged with the argument that the residents of the islands are implanted, Cairns responded: “We all are immigrants, every country in the world is made up of immigrants and we all have our own history.”
Sovereignty claim
Argentina has long called for negotiations with Britain over the islands' sovereignty, while London rejects negotiations on sovereignty and maintains that the islanders' right to self-determination must be respected.
Four decades after the conflict, tensions are still high between Britain and Argentina.
Argentina players held up a banner saying "The Malvinas are Argentine" after beating England 2-1 in the World Cup semi-final earlier this year. FIFA later fined the Argentine Football Association US$321,000.
Argentine forces invaded the islands in April 1982, prompting then-British prime minister Margaret Thatcher to send a naval task force to retake them.
The war left 649 Argentines, 255 Britons and three islanders dead.
Former US president Ronald Reagan initially sought to maintain a neutral position and attempted to mediate between the two sides but Washington ultimately provided Britain with military and intelligence support after diplomatic efforts failed.
Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno, commenting on Trump’s remarks during an interview with the Infobae news website, said Trump’s remarks did not alter Argentina’s position.
Argentina cannot “depend on anyone” in its claim to sovereignty over the islands, argued the official.
“We do not act on matters over which we have no control; we act on matters that we do control,” said Quirno.
“We are clear that the solution is diplomatic; we are clear that we must make as much progress as possible on that front, through the various forums, with the support of different countries,” he continued. “We must do our homework to increase our chances of Argentina’s legitimate claim to sovereignty being heard.
– TIMES with agencies
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