Buenos Aires, November 11 (NA) – The Argentine Foreign Ministry expressed on Tuesday its “most energetic rejection” of the announcement made by the companies Rockhopper Exploration Plc (United Kingdom) and Navitas Petroleum (Israel) regarding the supposed “Final Investment Decision” to develop the Sea Lion field, located in the North Malvinas Basin, off the Falkland Islands, without authorization from the competent Argentine authority. The Government recalled that any unilateral exploration or exploitation of natural resources in areas subject to a sovereignty dispute contravenes United Nations resolutions 2065 (XX), 31/49 and subsequent ones, which recognize the dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom and urge both parties to refrain from making unilateral modifications while a negotiated solution is pending. Furthermore, Argentina extended its rejection to all acts associated with advancing to the production phase, from the adoption of island regulations to the hiring of suppliers, as these activities are “illegal and incompatible with the Argentine legal system,” especially with laws 26.659 and 26.915, which prohibit operating on the continental shelf without national permission. The communiqué reminded that both companies have already been sanctioned: Rockhopper was declared clandestine and suspended for 20 years through resolutions from 2012 and 2013, while Navitas received equivalent sanctions in 2022 for operating without authorization. The Foreign Ministry warned that any natural or legal person who participates directly or indirectly in these ventures will be exposed to administrative, legal, and judicial measures, including operational restrictions, disqualifications, and actions in national and international jurisdictions. The Government stated that the new announcements constitute a “unilateral act with potentially irreversible future effects,” given that they involve non-renewable resources, and assured it will deepen its action plan to adopt all necessary measures in accordance with international law. Finally, Argentina reaffirmed its sovereign rights over the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, South Sandwich Islands, and the surrounding maritime spaces.
