Buenos Aires, 10 June 2026
On this 197th anniversary of 10 June 1829, the Government and the people of the Argentine Republic commemorate the creation of the Political and Military Commandancy for the Malvinas Islands and the islands adjacent to Cape Horn, a landmark event in the historical, legal, and political affirmation of our sovereign rights over the South Atlantic.
That act, ordered by Martín Rodríguez, Governor of the Province of Buenos Aires, formally established the Argentine government structure in the archipelago. The appointment of Luis Vernet as the first Political and Military Commander constituted an effective exercise of sovereignty, which included legislation on fishing resources, land grants and the establishment of a stable civilian population that lived, worked and built a community under Argentine authority.
Such effective exercise did not begin in 1829, but was preceded by years of peaceful, public and continuous Argentine presence in the archipelago. The Malvinas Islands came under Argentine sovereignty at the dawn of our Nation s independence process, on 25 May 1810, when Argentina established its first national government and joined the community of nations. From that founding date, Argentina inherited, by virtue of the succession of States and in accordance with the uti possidetis juris principle, the territorial titles over the territory of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata that had until then belonged to Spain.
The first Argentine governments, fully aware that the Malvinas Islands are an integral part of the national territory, took various administrative steps consolidating jurisdiction over the archipelago. Argentine law came into force in the Malvinas Islands as a concrete expression of sovereignty exercised both in fact and in law.
Later, in 1820, Argentine Navy Colonel David Jewett was officially sent to the Malvinas Islands to take possession on behalf of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. In a public and solemn ceremony, he raised the Argentine flag for the first time. From that moment onward, Argentina maintained an effective presence in the archipelago. Authorities were appointed, the first settlers arrived, and the islands witnessed the emergence of a prosperous and thriving human settlement under an Argentine administration that promoted work, economic development and community life in the harsh conditions of the South Atlantic.
However, on 3 January 1833, such legitimate exercise of sovereignty was interrupted by an act of force, when British troops expelled the Argentine authorities and population, thereby disrupting our country s territorial integrity. After carrying out that act of usurpation, and following the displacement of the Argentine inhabitants, the United Kingdom implemented a population implantation policy aimed at consolidating colonial domination over an archipelago located more than 12,000 kilometres from the metropole.
The current inhabitants of the archipelago are part of that implanted British population and cannot be ethnically or culturally distinguished from the people inhabiting the metropole. Unlike classic cases of colonialism, in which a pre-existing people is subjected to subjugation, domination or exploitation by an administering power, there is no such subjected people in the Malvinas Islands. Hence, the international community has never recognized the inhabitants of the islands as a "people" in the legal sense. At the same time, Argentina has maintained and continues to maintain a constructive attitude towards them, respecting their interests and their way of life, in accordance with the First Transitory Provision of the Argentine Constitution.
Ever since that act of force, Argentina has consistently upheld its claim for the restitution of the usurped territory, which has never ceased to belong to the Argentine people. In its unwavering effort to assert its legitimate rights, the Argentine Republic continues to receive the support of the international community in its just claim to put an end to colonialism in all its forms. Resolution 2065 (XX) of the United Nations General Assembly, adopted without objection in 1965, recognizes the existence of a sovereignty dispute and calls upon Argentina and the United Kingdom to engage in negotiations in order to find a peaceful and lasting solution. This call was reaffirmed in nine subsequent General Assembly resolutions and is reiterated every year at the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization, as well as in statements issued by regional and multilateral fora, including the Organization of American States and MERCOSUR.
Furthermore, the Argentine Government recalls that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the adoption of Resolution 31/49 by the United Nations General Assembly, which urges the parties to the dispute to refrain from introducing unilateral modifications to the situation while the Islands remain subject to the negotiation process mandated by the relevant United Nations resolutions. Consequently, any unilateral activity for the exploration or exploitation of renewable and non-renewable natural resources in the areas subject to the sovereignty dispute is contrary to international law and undermines the negotiation process promoted by the international community.
The abovementioned resolution takes on particular relevance today, just months after the purported "Final Investment Decision" announced by the illegitimate licensees Rockhopper Exploration Plc, based in the UK, and Navitas Petroleum Development and Production Limited, based in Israel, for the development of the "Sea Lion" field in the North Malvinas Basin, offshore the Malvinas Islands, without authorization from the competent Argentine authority. As reaffirmed by Argentine President Javier Milei, Argentina will respond firmly to any unilateral and unlawful activities aimed at advancing upon resources belonging to the Argentine people. Any unilateral exploration or exploitation activity in the areas subject to this sovereignty dispute is contrary to Resolution 2065 (XX) and the related resolutions adopted by the General Assembly and the Special Committee on Decolonization. Additionally, it constitutes a unilateral and illegitimate action by the United Kingdom, inconsistent with the provisions of General Assembly Resolution 31/49.
This 10 June, with the firm conviction that diplomacy is the only possible path to recovering the effective exercise of its legitimate sovereignty rights, which constitutes a permanent and unrenounceable goal of the Argentine people enshrined in our Constitution, the Argentine Republic once again reaffirms its sovereignty over the Malvinas, South Georgias and South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas, as they are an integral part of its national territory.
On this date of profound significance for all the Argentine people, the Argentine Government renews its unwavering commitment to the Question of the Malvinas Islands. Argentina will remain steadfast in its claim and will continue to use every peaceful means available so that, within the framework of international law, the United Kingdom agrees to resume bilateral dialogue on sovereignty, as required by the international community, and to bring this anachronistic colonial situation to an end once and for all.
By history, by right and by conviction: the Malvinas are Argentine.