Falklands Assembly chair Jack Ford says there is "nothing new" in Argentina's campaign and cites the extended oil licences
Jack FordChair of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly, speaking at a sitting of the Assembly, as reported by MercoPress
Speaking at a sitting of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly, chair Jack Ford said there was "nothing new" in Argentina's claims and that the Assembly "remains calm," thanked UK leaders for their support of self-determination and of developing the islands' natural resources, and cited the UK-backed extension of offshore hydrocarbon production licences as "a clear mark of confidence in our future."
“Claims of this kind have been made against the Falkland Islands many times over many years, and throughout all of them these Islands have continued to grow, to develop, and to thrive. We will go on doing exactly that.”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Should Argentina sanction UK and Israeli oil companies exploring near the Falkland Islands?
On September 3, 2026, Argentine President Javier Milei announced plans to sanction companies involved in oil exploration near the Falkland Islands, which Argentina calls the Malvinas and has long claimed from Britain. He called the Sea Lion oil project, operated by UK-based Rockhopper Exploration and Israel's Navitas Petroleum, a "concrete and urgent danger." Argentina has since filed a criminal complaint against Navitas Petroleum, begun sanctions proceedings against 60 companies and individuals connected to the project, and a Tierra del Fuego court has ordered the companies to suspend Sea Lion activity pending an environmental review, a step reported as largely symbolic since the project operates under Falkland Islands government licenses. Rockhopper and Navitas say they hold valid licenses with the UK's support and do not expect the measures to affect their activities. UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband called the UK's position on the islands "unwavering." Milei has tied the escalation to a 1976 UN resolution against unilateral action and has also announced funding for a new Argentine naval base in Tierra del Fuego. The dispute is whether Argentina should sanction and seek to block companies exploring for oil near the Falkland Islands.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
MercoPress report published September 25, 2026 on remarks by Jack Ford, chair of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly, at a sitting of the Assembly on Thursday, September 24. It quotes his response to Argentina's campaign after President Milei's September 23 UN General Assembly speech, including his reference to the extension of offshore hydrocarbon production licences. We did not locate an official transcript or recording of the sitting.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Ford spoke the day after President Milei, at the UN General Assembly, called unauthorized activity near the islands unlawful and defended Argentina's sanctions. MercoPress reports that he said there was "nothing new" in the claims and that the Assembly "remains calm."
After the quotation
Ford thanked UK leaders for their "unwavering commitment" to self-determination and to developing the islands' natural resources, and called the extension of offshore hydrocarbon production licences "a clear mark of confidence in our future." He said the islands' confidence "rests on our own democratic choice, made clearly and repeatedly by the people who live here."
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to Argentina's sanctions and legal action against the Sea Lion project, Ford dismisses Argentina's campaign as nothing new and points to the extension of the islands' offshore oil licences as a mark of confidence, rejecting the pressure on the islands' resource development, so we labeled it Condemned.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Javier Milei
More from this case
Read the full caseMilei tells Ibero-American leaders Argentina has opened sanctions proceedings and criminal complaints over Sea Lion
“We activated sanctions proceedings and filed criminal complaints against the companies involved and their executives. Our Government will assert Argentina's rights with all the firmness the law allows. (Translated from Spanish. Original: Activamos procedimientos sancionatorios y presentamos denuncias penales contra las compañías involucradas y sus directivos. Nuestro Gobierno hará valer los derechos argentinos con toda la firmeza que permite la ley.)”Read statement
International law professor Donald Rothwell says Argentina's Sea Lion case "could therefore fall at the first hurdle"
“While Argentina has framed its claim around UNCLOS, the core of the case is the territorial dispute over the islands, referred to as Malvinas by Argentina. ... Argentina's claim could therefore fall at the first hurdle, and Buenos Aires is no doubt aware of this challenge.”Read statement
Liberal Democrat Al Pinkerton calls Milei's use of UNCLOS arbitration "neo-colonialism dressed up as anti-colonialism"
“They spoke for themselves as a self-governing, self-determining, distinct and identifiable people, yet President Milei now seeks to use UNCLOS arbitration to deny the islanders of economic sovereignty and the right to shape their own future. That is neo-colonialism dressed up as anti-colonialism.”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Falklands Assembly chair Jack Ford says there is "nothing new" in Argentina's campaign and cites the extended oil licences
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/4501-speaking-at-a-sitting-of-the-falkland-islands
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Falklands Assembly chair Jack Ford says there is "nothing new" in Argentina's campaign and cites the extended oil licences". First published: 2026-10-03. Last updated: 2026-10-03. https://disputeindex.com/events/4501-speaking-at-a-sitting-of-the-falkland-islands