Argentina threatens to resort to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea if Britain does not stop oil extraction activities near the Malvinas Islands

This came in a statement issued by the Media Office of the Argentine Presidency. The statement confirmed that Buenos Aires will go to court if London does not respond to its request within the specified deadline.

The statement read: “The Argentine Republic has formally requested that the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland take the necessary measures, within two weeks, to prevent the commencement or continuation of any activity aimed at extracting hydrocarbon resources from the Argentine continental shelf. If the United Kingdom does not comply with this requirement within the specified deadline, the Argentine Republic will approach the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea with a request to take interim measures to ensure the preservation of its sovereign rights over the continental shelf.”

The media office reported that Argentine President Javier Milley "has instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and government legal teams to initiate arbitration procedures stipulated in Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea," in an effort to prevent the implementation of the "Sea Lion" oil project.

Annex VII allows any party to a dispute relating to the interpretation or application of the Convention to initiate arbitration by written notification. The arbitration team usually consists of five members, and its final decisions are binding on both parties.

Milley wrote on the “X” platform that he had instructed to initiate international arbitration against the United Kingdom, adding: “If the United Kingdom does not stop the illegal exploitation within two weeks, we will go to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.”

The Argentine government based its position on United Nations General Assembly Resolution No. 2065, which recognized the existence of a sovereignty dispute between the two countries and called for its solution through negotiation. It also cited Resolution 31/49, which called on both parties to refrain from any unilateral steps that would change the status quo.

The statement also announced the start of punitive and judicial measures against the British company Thales UK Limited. Buenos Aires accuses the company of operating flights between the islands and the Chilean city of Punta Arenas without an Argentine license.

In an address to the nation on September 3, Milley announced his intention to refer a draft law to Parliament to tighten penalties on companies that extract oil near the Malvinas Islands. This came as the “Sea Lion” oil fields development project approached, which is being implemented by the British company Rockhopper Exploration and the Israeli company Navitas Petroleum.

The project is located about 220 kilometers north of the islands, and production is expected to begin in 2028. Later, the Argentine government decided to impose sanctions on 60 individuals and legal entities involved in extracting hydrocarbons in the disputed area.

The islands have been the subject of a territorial dispute between Argentina and Britain for 200 years. An armed conflict broke out between the two countries in April 1982, ending with the defeat of Argentina, which lost 649 soldiers during two and a half months of fighting, while the losses of the British side amounted to 255 dead.

Argentina is still challenging British sovereignty over the islands through United Nations mechanisms, but the two parties have not yet reached a settlement.