Get you up to speed: Argentina president threatens to ‘take matters into our own hands’ over Falkland Islands | News World
Argentina’s President Javier Milei addressed the United Nations in New York, asserting that the nation’s claim to the Falkland Islands is a “national cause.” He declared that Argentina would pursue legal and economic actions regarding the territory, dismissing the principle of self-determination for the islanders.
Argentina has recently imposed sanctions on individuals and companies involved in oil exploration around the Falklands and is pursuing a criminal complaint against Navitas Petroleum regarding its operations in the area. The Argentine government has introduced a security bill aimed at enhancing the military’s role in infrastructure protection, indicating a shift towards more stringent measures in relation to the disputed territory.
In response to Javier Milei’s speech at the United Nations, UK officials reiterated their commitment to Falkland Islanders’ right to self-determination, asserting that “the United Kingdom has no doubt about its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.” The Argentinian government has taken legal and economic measures, including sanctions on firms involved in oil exploration around the islands, while also planning to expand military involvement in protecting national interests.
What remains unclear — It is uncertain how Argentina plans to implement the legal and economic actions it has promised regarding the Falkland Islands.
Argentina president asserts claim over Falkland Islands at UN Assembly
Argentina’s President has told the United Nations that his country’s claim to the Falkland Islands is a ‘national cause’.
Javier Milei made the row over the Falklands, which Argentina calls the Malvinas, the centrepiece of his speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday.
The diplomatic slapdown came after Milei argued the United Nations had chosen ‘to look the other way’.
In response, Milei said that Argentina was ‘going to take matters into our own hands’ through legal and economic action, which he described as ‘a peaceful, practical and effective defence’.
Milei also dismissed the wishes of islanders, who previously voted overwhelmingly to remain as a British Overseas Territory, arguing the principle of self-determination did not apply.
The islanders said at the time: ‘This is since the population was implanted by the occupying power on a territory whose sovereignty is in dispute.’
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Milei made the remarks at the United Nations in New York (Picture: Getty)
His comments come after Andy Burnham said the UK ‘will stand firm in the face of any threats’ to the sovereignty of the Falklands.
The Prime Minister raised the issue with President Donald Trump, a close ally of Milei, during talks at the UN.
But Trump recently suggested he could reconsider Washington’s neutral stance on the sovereignty of the islands.
The US president also questioned the UK’s ability to defend the territory due to its domestic problems with immigration and energy.
Although the US is formally neutral, Washington provided support for Britain’s campaign to retake the islands after the Argentinian invasion in 1982.
It sparked the Falklands War, which led to 255 British service deaths in just over 70 days. It also led to the deaths of 655 Argentinians and three Falkland Islanders.
Tensions over the Falklands have been rising in recent months (Picture: Getty)
Earlier this month, the Argentinian government imposed sanctions on people and firms involved in oil exploration around the Falklands and said it would file a criminal complaint against oil company Navitas Petroleum over its operations around the islands.
It has also introduced a security bill that would enable tougher action to be taken and expand the military’s role in protecting the country’s infrastructure.
Rounding on the UN in his speech, Milei said: ‘An organisation established to defend the territorial sovereignty of its members, decided to look the other way about the situation of the Malvinas Islands…
‘For us, the Malvinas is a national cause.’ For far too long, Argentine governments opted for a rhetorical defence. We have chosen a peaceful, practical, and effective defence.’
On the position of Falkland residents, he said: ‘The principle of self-determination does not apply in this case, since the population was implanted by the occupying power on a territory whose sovereignty is in dispute.
‘That principle exists to liberate colonised people, not to legitimise situations arising from colonisation.’
Milei told the gathering of world leaders: ‘We will not remain indifferent to those who exploit resources under illegal foreign occupation. Argentina’s position is clear. Today, I have come to tell you that Argentina is not going to sit around waiting for the UN and the international community to live up to their own mandate.’
The British UN delegation said: ‘The United Kingdom has no doubt about its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. The United Kingdom is steadfast in its support for the Falkland Islanders’ right of self-determination… The Falkland Islanders have as much right to determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development as any other peoples.’
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