Minister for Overseas Territories: The Falkland Islands are British
Uma Kumaran, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Overseas Territories, said the Islanders have the right to develop their natural resources as they see fit, and that the UK stands fully behind businesses threatened by Argentina for trading with the Falklands.
The Falkland Islands are British and have the right to develop their natural resources as they see fit, the minister for overseas territories has said.
Uma Kumaran said the UK government “stands fully behind” businesses and individuals threatened by Argentina for supplying goods and services to the Islands.
In a statement issued on 18 September, the minister said Argentina had continued in recent weeks to threaten those trading with the Falklands, “directly and indirectly”, including in the hydrocarbons sector.
The Islanders’ right to develop their resources was “an integral part of their right of self-determination”, Kumaran said.
The minister described the charges brought against companies and individuals as “unacceptable, with no legal justification”.
The UK “stands in lockstep with the international community”, Kumaran said, and any attempt to “politicise international mechanisms” against people doing business with the Falklands was illegitimate.
“This is not the first time that an Argentine Government have made economic threats against the Islanders, yet the Falkland Islands economy continues to flourish,” Kumaran said.
The minister said there were “enormous opportunities available for businesses in the Falklands”, and that the UK would work with the Falkland Islands Government to ensure the Islanders’ wishes are protected.
