Trump has said in recent weeks that the US position of neutrality on sovereignty over the archipelago is under review British Prime Minister Andy Burnham set out to US President Donald Trump on Friday “the economic consequences that Argentina’s coercive measures have for the United Kingdom and the United States”, in a phone call focused on the Sea Lion oil project north of the Falklands, according to a Downing Street statement quoted by the EFE news agency. Burnham reiterated the islanders’ right to develop their natural resources.
The call came a day after US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau acknowledged in Buenos Aires that Washington is closely watching the impact Argentina’s National Sovereignty Defence bill could have on its companies. The bill, still stalled in the Chamber of Deputies, extends sanctions to affiliates, shareholders, financiers and suppliers of companies operating in the islands. Trump has said in recent weeks that the US position of neutrality on sovereignty over the archipelago is under review.
The same day, Burnham spoke with Chilean President José Antonio Kast, to whom he raised “the UK’s interest in ensuring that Falkland Islanders retain the ability to exercise their right to self-determination”, according to Downing Street. The two agreed on the need to work together to modernise their defence capabilities and that there are “untapped trade opportunities” between their countries. Kast reiterated Chile’s support for Argentina’s sovereignty claim during a state visit to Buenos Aires in April, while his government described the new commercial route between Punta Arenas and Stanley in September as “a business between private parties”.
Argentina launched sanctions proceedings in September against dozens of people and companies linked to Sea Lion, operated by Navitas Petroleum and Rockhopper Exploration, and asked the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea to order a halt to the project. The tribunal will hold its hearing on November 10 and 11 in Hamburg. The United Kingdom has announced measures to protect its companies from Argentine sanctions and maintains that the islanders’ decision to remain British, expressed by 99.8% of voters in the 2013 referendum, must be respected.