Argentina Asks International Tribunal to Halt Oil and Gas Exploitation in Malvinas Area

Dragon Media News Desk

Argentina has asked the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea to order the United Kingdom to halt oil and gas exploitation in the Malvinas Islands area. Known in Britain as the Falkland Islands, the archipelago has been under British control since 1833. Argentina continues to claim sovereignty over the islands.

According to a statement issued Tuesday by the Argentine president’s office, the request seeks to preserve Argentina’s sovereign rights over its continental shelf and prevent activities authorised unilaterally by the United Kingdom from further aggravating the dispute. Argentina has asked the Tribunal to prescribe provisional measures to halt oil and gas exploitation in the disputed area.

The request forms part of arbitration proceedings initiated by Argentina on September 28. The statement said the proceedings aim to defend the country’s sovereignty and natural resources.

Argentina has invoked provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Under the Convention, a party to a dispute may ask the Tribunal to prescribe provisional measures to preserve the parties’ rights or prevent serious harm to the marine environment.

Argentina also reiterated its claim to sovereign rights over the Malvinas Islands, South Georgia, the South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas. In 1965, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2065, recognising the existence of a sovereignty dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Malvinas and urging both countries to seek a peaceful solution through negotiations.