Quirno emphasized that Tierra del Fuego oversees the oil operation and receives royalties from the production of Río Cullen
Moreover, the exploitation of Río Cullen generates royalties, employment, and economic activity for Tierra del Fuego. The provincial government itself recently adopted measures aimed at ensuring the continuity of that production due to its significance for the local economy.
Chancellor Pablo Quirno dismantled this Friday the media operation driven by Kirchnerist leaders regarding the entry of a British oil tanker into the port of Ushuaia, after opposition sectors attempted to present the episode as a violation of Argentina's sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.
In recent days, Kirchnerist leaders, national legislators, and officials from Tierra del Fuego questioned the presence of the vessel and accused the national government of allowing an operation incompatible with the defense of Argentine interests.
However, Quirno presented a series of data that contradict the narrative that the opposition sought to establish. The ship in question had been contracted to transport oil produced in the Austral Marine Basin, within Argentine territory, and was coming from Río Cullen, where crude extracted from the Fuegian fields operated by TotalEnergies and its partners is loaded.
Far from being an activity linked to the British authorities illegally occupying the Falkland Islands, the operation is part of Tierra del Fuego's own hydrocarbon industry. The province itself oversees these operations, controls the produced volumes, supervises the loads, and certifies the origin of the oil.
Quirno also recalled that the consortium in charge of the exploitation holds concessions that were extended by the same Fuegian administration, accompanied by investment commitments exceeding USD 530 million and an increase in the royalties received by the province.
In this way, the Kirchnerist accusation attempted to associate the nationality of the vessel with a supposed concession to the United Kingdom, despite the fact that the vessel was participating in a commercial operation related to oil produced and supervised in Argentine territory. "What was inadmissible?", Quirno questioned in response to the opposition's accusations.
The chancellor also emphasized that the vessel had no connection with the illegitimate British authorities of the Falkland Islands, distinguishing Argentine hydrocarbon production from any exploitation carried out under British control in the archipelago.
Finally, Quirno criticized that sectors of Kirchnerism use the Falklands issue to mount a political controversy against the government of Javier Milei. "The Falklands issue deserves to be defended with seriousness", stated the official, who emphasized that defending Argentine sovereignty also involves distinguishing facts from political operations.
