The UK Government has accused Argentina of 'economic coercion' and pledged to protect businesses involved in the Sea Lion oil project after Buenos Aires asked an international tribunal to halt offshore hydrocarbon development near the Falkland Islands.
Foreign Office minister Uma Kumaran told the House of Commons on Tuesday, 13 October, that the UK would take part in the legal process but maintained that the project was lawful under licences issued by the Falkland Islands Government. Argentina argues that the development infringes its sovereign rights over the continental shelf in the North Falkland Basin.
