London: In response to the Argentine president, the British defense minister affirms London’s sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting affirmed his country’s commitment to its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Malvinas), responding to statements by Argentine President Javier Millie regarding the islands and the oil exploration companies operating there.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Streeting stated in a press conference: “Mille’s statements tell us more about Argentina’s internal politics than about the Falkland Islands.” He added: “These islands are British because their inhabitants chose to be British, and our commitment to them is absolute and unwavering.”

The British minister’s statement came after Millie described the oil exploration companies in the islands as a “strategic threat” to Argentine interests and announced a plan to bolster the Ministry of Defense’s resources and establish a fully integrated naval base in the Tierra del Fuego region.

It is worth noting that a dispute erupted in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over two territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands. The conflict began when Argentina invaded and occupied the Falkland Islands on April 2, 1982, followed by its invasion of South Georgia the next day, in an attempt to assert its sovereignty over these territories.

In response, on April 5, the British government dispatched a naval task force to engage the Argentine air force and navy before launching an amphibious assault on the islands. The conflict lasted 74 days, ending with Argentina’s surrender on June 14, and the Falkland Islands returning to British control.