María Ibarzábal led the Argentine claim against oil exploitation in the Falklands

The delegation also presented a warning about the own contingency plans of one of the companies involved in the project. As he said, these documents contemplate the possibility of an oil spill reaching uncontested Argentine waters within

30 days.

This would imply that Argentina could be forced to coordinate response tasks and face the environmental consequences of an activity that it did not authorize and about which it

has expressed its rejection.

The proposal seeks to demonstrate the urgency of the provisional measures requested and to prevent the United Kingdom from moving forward with an exploitation that could generate consequences that are impossible to reverse while the arbitral procedure is taking place.

Argentina filed a strong complaint with the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (TIDM) to demand that the United Kingdom stop the advance of oil exploitation in the Malvinas Islands. The national delegation, led by the legal and technical secretary of the Presidency, María Ibarzábal Murphy, requested interim measures to prevent the Sea Lion project from causing irreversible damage to natural resources and the marine environment while international arbitration

continues.

The presentation represents a new chapter in the defense of Argentine rights over the Falkland Islands and their natural resources, in the face of London's unilateral decisions to move forward with economic activities in a territory whose sovereignty remains in dispute.

Argentina denounced the unilateral British advance on the resources of the Malvinas

During the first presentation before the court, the Argentine representation held that the United Kingdom intends to unilaterally dispose of the natural resources of a territory that is under a sovereignty dispute that is still pending resolution

.

The complaint points directly against the Sea Lion oil project, located in the North Malvinas Basin, which envisages an exploitation period of 35 years, the drilling of 23 production wells and different stages of development.

The Argentine delegation warned that allowing this initiative to move forward would mean consolidating an economic exploitation of non-renewable resources without authorization from Argentina and in open contradiction with the international principles that

govern the controversy.

In that regard, he recalled that the United Nations has recognized since 1965 the existence of a sovereignty dispute between the two countries and that, since then, it has urged the parties to find a solution through peaceful negotiations.

One of the main legal precedents mentioned was Resolution 31/49 of the UN General Assembly, which urges Argentina and the United Kingdom to refrain from adopting unilateral decisions that introduce changes in the situation of the Islands while the negotiation process continues.

The national representative also recalled that Argentina systematically rejected British licenses and decisions related to the exploitation of hydrocarbons in the area. He even pointed out that in August of this year he again expressed his willingness to resume the dialogue, a call that was rejected

by London.

Environmental risk and irreversible loss of natural resources

Another of the central axes of the presentation was the impact that oil exploitation could have on the marine environment. Argentina warned that the risks are not limited to the extraction of hydrocarbons, but also include possible accidents and spills that could affect waters

under national jurisdiction.

During his speech, the legal advisor of the Foreign Ministry and Argentine agent before the Court, Mario Oyarzábal, was forceful in explaining the irreversible nature of the activity.

“What is at stake cannot be restored. Hydrocarbons are non-renewable resources and their extraction is definitive,” he said.