The British government on Friday said the Falkland Islands had the “right to develop their natural resources as they see fit” after Argentina sought tougher sanctions for oil projects in the British-administered territory.
Britain and Argentina fought a brief but bitter 10-week war in 1982 over the South Atlantic islands, known to Argentines as Las Malvinas.
Argentine President Javier Milei has renewed claims over the islands, targeting in particular a UK-Israeli oil project near the archipelago.
Milei has backed a bill that would ban the development of any natural resources in without authorisation from Buenos Aires, raising the penalty set out in an older law to a maximum 20 years in prison.
His government also filed a criminal complaint against Israeli firm Navitas for drilling in a major oil field off the Falklands.
“The UK Government and our diplomatic network stands fully behind those businesses and individuals. They have our full support,” the UK foreign office said in a statement.
“These charges against companies and individuals are unacceptable, with no legal justification,” it added.
Navitas has a majority share of the Sea Lion offshore oil project, with Britain’s Rockhopper holding the rest.
Both companies have insisted they have valid exploration licences supported by the UK.
Milei says the project violates a United Nations resolution calling on both sides to desist from unilateral actions in the islands.
The Falkland Islanders themselves voted overwhelmingly in 2013 to remain British.
But Argentina rejects that outcome, arguing that the principle of self-determination does not apply to a population it considers implanted by Britain after 1833.
