The Falkland Islands government has accused Argentina of waging a campaign of “economic warfare” against it.
Speaking on the 27th anniversary of the end of the Falklands war, Mike Summers, a member of the Falkland Islands legislative assembly, said Argentina is deliberately hampering the islands’ three main industries of fishing, tourism, and oil and gas exploration.
He said the British overseas territory’s economic development is being held back by Argentinian policies aimed at forcing the islands to accept claims of Argentinian sovereignty. The Falkland Islands, or Las Malvinas, as the archipelago is known in Argentina, has a population of around 3,000 people and an annual income of £75 million (US$122.3 million). But the islands’ government believes the affluence of its inhabitants is being deliberately held back by Argentina.
Summers complained that Argentina has withdrawn from a commission to manage fisheries, which provide the bulk of the island’s income, which means fish stocks may be seriously damaged; that Argentina has stopped charter planes traveling from Chile to the Falklands by banning them from using Argentinian airspace, which has damaged the cruise ship industry; and the hydrocarbon business has been hit by a presidential decree from Buenos Aires that prevents anyone who works in the hydrocarbon industry in Argentina from doing the same in the Falklands.
“We don’t have good relations,” Summers said. “They are taking an economic warfare approach. It has created tension between the Falklands and Argentina. Economic development could be improved if we got on better. While the clear stated intention of the Argentines is to take over the Falklands whether we like it or not, we can’t co-operate better.”
A spokesman for Argentina’s foreign ministry said the measures would remain in place until Britain agrees to resume talks over Argentina’s claim of sovereignty.
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