By Leila Miller
Sept 23 (Reuters) – Argentina’s President Javier Milei on Wednesday criticized the United Nations for looking “the other way” amid escalating tensions with Britain over oil exploration around the Falkland Islands, a largely self-governing British overseas territory whose sovereignty Argentina has long disputed.
Speaking before world leaders at the UN General Assembly, Milei repeated Argentina’s claim to the islands and said that the islanders do not have a right to self-determination. He reiterated his call for negotiations with the United Kingdom to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.
“We’re choosing a pacific, practical and effective defense,” he said.
Argentina earlier this month began sanctions proceedings against more than 60 companies and people linked to an offshore oil drilling project, a move that British officials have strongly pushed back on. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Tuesday told reporters that he would stand firm against Argentina’s actions, saying “we will defend the right of the Falkland Islanders to self-determination and to remain British.”
On Thursday, Milei is due to meet with Israeli Prime Minister and close ally Benjamin Netanyahu. The Falklands oil drilling project has strong Israeli ties.
Argentina’s claim of sovereignty over the islands located in the South Atlantic and which it calls the Malvinas remains central to its national identity. The country invaded the archipelago in 1982 and fought a 10-week war that ended with Argentina’s surrender to Britain and is still commemorated in Buenos Aires in street murals for the fallen soldiers.
In a televised address this month, Milei said the drilling project violates a 1976 UN General Assembly resolution urging both countries to resolve the sovereignty dispute through dialogue and avoid unilateral decisions.
His speech came days after US President Donald Trump, a Milei ally, suggested Washington could reconsider its traditionally neutral position on the Falklands dispute.
‘SHIFT THE AGENDA’
Milei’s tougher stance marks a notable shift for a president who had been criticized by political opponents for showing little interest in the sovereignty dispute while pursuing closer ties with the US and Europe. Now Argentina’s opposition is accusing Milei, who is expected to seek reelection in 2027, of using the dispute to bolster domestic support.
“It’s simply something to look good in the eyes of society or to try to shift the agenda,” said Guillermo Michel, a Peronist opposition congressman in the chamber of deputies.
However, a study by the Buenos Aires-based consultancy Inteligencia Analitica found that his televised address produced only a modest improvement in his public image.
“The Malvinas issue in Argentina transcends the president’s speech,” said Marcelo Escolar, the firm’s director.
Last week, Milei presented a bill that aims to toughen sanctions on those deemed to unlawfully participate in activities utilizing natural resources in Argentina’s maritime spaces and continental shelf.
The bill will first be referred to committee, as the government weighs its legislative priorities.
Milei lacks a majority in Congress but has managed to pass important economic reforms. Marcelo Seghini, a defense adviser in the lower house, said that while some parts of the sovereignty bill may have bipartisan support, other provisions unrelated to the Falklands dispute may spur opposition.
Navitas Petroleum and Rockhopper Exploration, owners of the Sea Lion project offshore the Falklands, have indicated they do not expect Milei’s actions to derail development.
(Reporting by Leila Miller in Buenos Aires. Editing by Lucinda Elliott, Rosalba O’Brien and Andrea Ricci )
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