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🇸🇪 Sweden /Elections & Politics

Milei says Falkland Islands belong to Argentina “historically and legally”

From Dagens Nyheter · () Swedish

Translated from Swedish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Argentine President Javier Milei renewed his claim to the Falkland Islands and announced plans for a new military base in Tierra del Fuego.
  • Milei said Argentina would quickly sanction oil companies drilling near the islands without Argentine authorization; Britain reaffirmed its sovereignty.
  • The dispute has intensified amid opposition to a British-Israeli oil project and renewed political attention in Argentina.

President Javier Milei has declared that the Falkland Islands belong to Argentina “historically and legally,” reviving a long-running dispute with Britain in a televised address to the nation.

Milei said he intends to build a new military base in Tierra del Fuego. The move was described as a response to a British-Israeli oil project north of the islands, known in Argentina as the Islas Malvinas. The project has stirred anger because Argentina claims the islands and any oil revenues from surrounding waters.

If we do not act decisively and quickly today, in a few months they will have the material capacity to seize the oil reserves beneath our sea.

· Javier MileiThe Argentine president warned about oil drilling near the Falkland Islands and called for rapid action.

The president also promised swift sanctions against oil companies drilling near the islands without Argentine permission. “If we do not act decisively and quickly today, in a few months they will have the material capacity to seize the oil reserves beneath our sea,” he said, according to La Nación.

The Falkland Islands are British because the Falkland Islanders choose to be British.

· Wes StreetingBritain’s defense minister responded to Milei’s claim of Argentine sovereignty.

Britain’s defense minister, Wes Streeting, responded on X: “The Falkland Islands are British because the Falkland Islanders choose to be British.” He added, “Our commitment to the Falkland Islands is absolute and unwavering.”

In a 2013 referendum, the islands’ roughly 2,000 residents voted overwhelmingly to remain British. Milei rejected the validity of such votes, saying the residents live on occupied land and have no right to decide the islands’ status.

Our commitment to the Falkland Islands is absolute and unwavering.

· Wes StreetingStreeting reaffirmed Britain’s position on the islands.

The dispute has gained fresh attention after U.S. President Donald Trump, a close ally of Milei, suggested that Washington might reconsider its neutrality because Britain had not supported the United States during the Iran war. Analysts quoted by The Wall Street Journal said Argentine leaders often use the issue to rally public support. The islands have been under British control since 1833, and the dispute led to a two-month war in 1982 that killed 649 Argentine and 255 British soldiers, along with three civilian islanders.

All arguments based on referendums held on the islands are invalid.

· Javier MileiMilei rejected the 2013 referendum in which island residents voted to remain British.
About this summary

Originally published by Dagens Nyheter in Swedish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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