Exploratory oil drilling, which began last month in waters north of the Falkland Islands (whose sovereignty remains contested by the United Kingdom and Argentina) has upped the tension level in the region, the security information provider Jane's has noted.
CHILEAN flags have been on display in the Falkland Islands as members of the Chilean community, along with Islanders, have begun fundraising for victims of the Chile earthquake.
The Washington Post published this week an editorial on the current Falkland Islands situation arguing that “you know that an Argentine leader must be in political trouble” if the subject of the South Atlantic Islands comes up again.
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The fourth British company licensed to explore in Falkland Islands waters, Borders and Southern Ltd announced preparations were “well underway” for a drilling campaign to the south of the Islands.
Licences to drill for oil in Falkland Islands territorial waters were issued by the Falklands’ government, not by London, and Islanders are entitled to do this by the terms of the Joint Declaration over Oil issued by the Argentine and British governments in 1995, said Falklands Government Representative in London Sukey Cameron.
The Falkland Islands government sent on Tuesday a message (in English and Spanish) of sympathy and support to the Chilean people “at this terrible time of tragedy”.
The Falkland Islands most voted member of the Legislative Assembly is currently in the United Kingdom where he will be participating of the Westminster Seminar, which is described as a perfect learning ground for recently elected politicians.
Defense spending on protecting the Falkland Islands has plunged by 50% cent in just six years, it was claimed by a report in London’s Daily Mail.
Spain has declared that the European Union should refrain from any type of involvement in the Falkland Islands dispute, according to the official news agency EFE. A spokesman for the Spanish Government, which currently holds the rotating six-month presidency of the EU, is quoted as saying that “this is not a European matter but a British one, a bilateral affair rather than a regional one.