Argentina claims sovereignty over the archipelago and maintains that licences granted by the islands’ government are invalid Britain’s Minister for the Overseas Territories, Uma Kumaran, on Friday described as “unacceptable” and carrying “no legal justification” the proceedings Argentina has opened against companies and individuals linked to economic activity in the Falklands, and said the United Kingdom’s diplomatic network fully backs those targeted.
The United Kingdom is clear: the Falkland Islands are British and they have the right to develop their natural resources as they see fit. This is an integral part of their right of self-determination, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State said in a statement released by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Kumaran, a Labour MP appointed to the post in July under Andy Burnham’s government, added that this is not the first time an Argentine government has made economic threats against the islanders and that, despite them, the archipelago’s economy continues to flourish. These are UK government positions, contested by Argentina.
The statement includes a warning without a specified target: it says any attempt to politicise international mechanisms against individuals for doing business with the Falklands are illegitimate, without specifying which mechanisms it refers to. Kumaran also said she would work tirelessly with the islands’ government to protect its wishes.
It is the second official British intervention on the matter in a week. On Tuesday, the FCDO published, jointly with the business and trade department, guidance for companies operating in the archipelago, which Argentina’s foreign ministry rejected the following day. Earlier this month, Kumaran had released a video stating the islands are and will always remain a British Overseas Territory in line with the wishes of the Falkland Islanders.
The proceedings referred to in the statement comprise three criminal complaints covering ten companies and their directors, 60 administrative files opened with no penalty applied, and around 180 warning notices sent to individuals and companies in 30 countries. None of the allegations has been proven. On Thursday, Argentina’s government also sent Congress a bill replacing Law 26,659 and extending the prohibitions to all natural resources on the continental shelf.
Argentina claims sovereignty over the archipelago and maintains that licences granted by the islands’ government are invalid. In the 2013 referendum, 99.8% of voters chose to retain the status of a British overseas territory.
