Argentina
Clash at the UN between the United Kingdom and Argentina over the sovereignty of the Malvinas
Andy Burnham defended the British position on the islands before the General Assembly. Pablo Quirno responded that they are an Argentine territory illegally occupied and reiterated the willingness to reopen negotiations.
The UN General Assembly once again became the scene of the dispute over sovereignty of the Malvinas Islands. There, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Andy Burnham, said his country would stand firm against any threat to the British overseas territories and explicitly mentioned the islands.
According to reports by Crónica and Clarín, Burnham framed that position in a speech on international security, in which he also said the United Kingdom would continue investing in defense, although he clarified that he was not seeking confrontation.
After those remarks, Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno asked to exercise the right of reply before the UN Secretariat. In his intervention, he said that the Malvinas Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are part of Argentine territory and are illegally occupied by the United Kingdom, according to the version cited by Clarín.
Quirno also reaffirmed Argentina’s willingness to resume substantive bilateral negotiations with London and underscored the country’s commitment to a peaceful solution. He also urged the United Kingdom to comply with its obligations regarding decolonization, according to both outlets.
Clarín added that the foreign minister said that, under international law, the parties must refrain from introducing unilateral changes while the dispute remains unresolved. In that context, Argentina again reaffirmed its sovereignty rights over the islands and the surrounding maritime areas.
The exchange took place amid new diplomatic moves over the Malvinas issue. Crónica reported that in recent weeks the Argentine government promoted measures against people and companies linked to hydrocarbon activities in areas it considers under its sovereignty, with sanction proceedings against 45 people and companies.
For its part, Clarín noted that the recent tension was also linked to the extension of offshore hydrocarbon exploration licenses decided by the islands’ government, a measure that had British backing and prompted a formal protest from the Argentine Foreign Ministry to the British embassy.
The episode also came on the eve of Javier Milei’s address before the General Assembly, where a new reaffirmation of the Argentine claim to sovereignty over the islands was expected.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not conduct its own reporting on this event.
