MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina was sure Chile would not be involved in Falklands’ oil exploration

Palacio San Martín, seat of the Argentine Foreign Affairs ministry

The Argentine government minimized the potential impact to bilateral relations with Chile following news that the country’s oil company Enap had been approached by a British corporation to team up for hydrocarbons exploration offshore the Malvinas Islands.

“Impact is non existent since we know Chile strongly supports Argentina’s sovereign claims over the Malvinas, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and adjoining maritime spaces” said Argentine Foreign Affairs ministry sources quoted in the Thursday edition of the Buenos Aires press.

“Such a proposal has no chances of prospering. The fact officials from the oil companies met means nothing; what is clear is the desperate need of the British investors in ensuring continental support for such operations. No matter how much they deny it, Islanders can’t avoid appealing to the continent or some other partner, which makes the whole offshore exploration operation far less viable than hailed by the press”, added the Argentine sources.

“This undoubtedly is closely linked to the necessary legal support and guarantees which the geo-political scenario does not offer specially with an international sovereignty dispute and pending solution, in spite of the United Kingdom unilateral and illegal actions”.

Sources close to Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana revealed Argentina was well aware of the news and events but tried to tone down the possible rift with the government of Chilean President Michelle Bachelet in the event “of a positive decision involving the issue”.

“We deeply value Chile’s standing support to our sovereign rights in the South Atlantic and this was proven in the recent summits of Estoril (Portugal) and Montevideo, plus the traditional bilateral and multilateral support we receive from them in forums such as the United Nations and the Organization of American States”.

British companies and those from the Islands are operating “illegally in the Argentine continental platform, in open violation of Argentine sovereignty and what was decided by United Nations resolutions, which has led the Argentine government to repeatedly protest and denounce such unilateral and illegal actions, openly exposed to the respective legal sanctions”.