Argentina Protests Oil Exploration in Falklands

The Argentine government presented an “energetic protest” to Britain for offering concessions to explore for oil and natural gas in the waters surrounding the contested Falkland Islands, the foreign ministry said here Thursday.

Argentina’s attempt to seize control of the British colony in the South Atlantic spurred a brief but bloody war in 1982.



“Argentina energetically rejected these unilateral measures which constitute an
illicit act not only against Argentine law but also international law,” Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana said in a note presented Wednesday at the British Embassy in Buenos Aires.

He also reiterated Argentina’s claim to “sovereign rights over the Islas Malvinas (as the Falklands are known in Latin America) and the surrounding maritime areas, which form part of the national territory.”

RigZone