The UK on Tuesday vowed to “stand firm” against challenges to its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, drawing an immediate response from Argentina at the UN General Assembly, where Buenos Aires reiterated its claim to the archipelago and denounced what it called an “illegal occupation.”
“This is about upholding the UN charter and the rule of law,” British Prime Minister Andy Burnham told world leaders during the General Debate of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, adding: “We will stand firm in the face of any threats and challenges to the rule of law, not just from Russia, but from others, too, including where they threaten the rights of British territories to remain British, such as the Falkland Islands.”
The Argentine delegation responded by maintaining that the islands, which Buenos Aires calls the Malvinas Islands, along with South Georgia, the South Sandwich Islands and surrounding maritime areas, are part of Argentine territory.
The delegation argued that British forces expelled legitimate Argentine authorities in 1833 in violation of international law, insisting that the archipelago remains “illegally occupied” by the UK.
Citing UN General Assembly Resolution 2065 and repeated pronouncements by the Special Committee on Decolonization, the Argentine mission expressed “full readiness” to resume substantive bilateral negotiations toward a peaceful solution, urging London to fulfill its decolonization obligations.
Argentine representatives also cited Resolution 39/49, calling on the UK to refrain from taking unilateral measures that could alter the situation while the dispute remains under multilateral consideration.
The long-standing territorial dispute over the British-controlled archipelago, located approximately 483 kilometers (300 miles) east of Argentina’s coast, has intensified as offshore hydrocarbon projects move closer to production.
Argentina recently filed a criminal complaint in federal court against several international energy companies over oil and gas exploration conducted under British licenses in the North Malvinas Basin, which Buenos Aires characterized as the illegal exploitation of its national resources.