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Argentine President Javier Milei accused the United Nations of “looking the other way” over Argentina’s long-running sovereignty dispute with the United Kingdom concerning the Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as Las Malvinas, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York on September 23, Milei described the islands as a “national cause” and criticised British-backed plans to extract oil from waters claimed by Argentina.
Oil project fuels latest dispute
At the centre of the dispute is the Sea Lion oil project, located about 220 kilometres north of the islands. Argentina considers the project illegal, while its owners, UK-based “Rockhopper Exploration” and Israel’s “Navitas Petroleum”, are expected to begin drilling in the coming months. Production is planned for 2028.
Earlier in September, Argentina began sanctions proceedings against 60 companies and individuals linked to offshore drilling near the islands. British officials rejected the measures, saying the Falkland Islands have the right to develop their own natural resources.
Milei said the project violated a 1976 UN General Assembly resolution that called on Argentina and the UK to negotiate over sovereignty and refrain from unilateral action in the meantime.
“Any such activity not authorised by the Argentine Republic … constitutes an unlawful act,” Milei said, adding that Argentina had chosen a “peaceful, practical, and effective defence” of its claim.
Argentina expands military presence
Alongside the sanctions, Milei’s government has announced new funding for a naval base in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina’s southernmost province, to strengthen its military presence near the islands.
The Falkland Islands are a largely self-governing UK overseas territory in the South Atlantic. Britain has administered them since 1833, while Argentina has long claimed sovereignty.
Argentina invaded the islands in 1982, triggering a 10-week war that ended with its surrender. The UK says the islanders should determine their own future. In a 2013 referendum, 1,513 of 1,517 voters chose to remain a British overseas territory.
Milei rejected that position, arguing that the principle of self-determination did not apply because the population had been “implanted by the occupying power” in disputed territory.
Milei links dispute to ties with Washington
The president’s stronger stance marks a shift after opponents criticised him for giving limited attention to the sovereignty dispute while seeking closer ties with the United States.
The issue has gained renewed attention after US President Donald Trump raised the possibility of reconsidering Washington’s position on the islands, although he has not backed Argentina’s claim. Milei said earlier this month that “winds of change” were blowing in Argentina’s favour.
Opponents have accused Milei of using the dispute to build domestic support ahead of an expected 2027 re-election bid. Peronist opposition lawmaker Guillermo Michel told Reuters that the issue was being used “to look good in the eyes of society or to try to shift the agenda”.
A study by Buenos Aires-based consultancy Inteligencia Analitica found that Milei’s recent televised address on the Malvinas had only modestly improved his public image.
His UN speech also included a broad attack on the organisation, which he called a “useless organisation” filled with “arrogant parasites masquerading as well-intentioned bureaucrats”. Milei said the UN had failed to protect international security and human rights.
He also reaffirmed Argentina’s close ties with the United States and Israel, saying his government was “unequivocally aligned” with the West. Milei accused the UN of “systematically” voting against Israel while remaining silent about abuses elsewhere, and condemned Iran, whose Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Argentina has designated as a “terrorist organisation”.
