Milei announces sovereignty law and sanctions on 60 companies over Malvinas

President Javier Milei led the inauguration of the Museum of the Mounted Grenadiers Regiment «General San Martín» in Palermo, where he announced the sending to Congress of a draft Law for the Defense of National Sovereignty and the opening of sanctioning processes against 60 companies and individuals operating in the Malvinas Basin without Argentine authorization, according to Crónica.

Presidential announcements and request for support

According to Crónica, Milei stated that «next week he will send the draft Law for the Defense of National Sovereignty.» In his speech, he stressed that «there can be no divide on this» and called for support from all political sectors. «Malvinas is a national cause and I believe we are honoring General San Martín. It is not of a government or a party,» he said.

The president also highlighted the signing of a decree to «streamline sanctions against those who exploit our resources without authorization.» In that context, he specified that «since the announcement on the national network, we have already opened sanctioning processes against 60 companies and individuals operating directly or indirectly in the Malvinas Basin without our authorization.»

Diplomatic protest in July

The Argentine Foreign Ministry reported in an official statement that on July 13 it presented a formal protest note to the United Kingdom Embassy over the movements of the HMS Medway vessel, «illegally stationed in the Malvinas Islands.» According to the text, these actions were not notified in accordance with current bilateral agreements and constitute «a violation of the commitments assumed» in the Joint Declaration of September 25, 1991, and its annexes.

The Foreign Ministry statement emphasizes that the United Kingdom carries out «unilateral acts» that contradict Resolution 31/49 of the United Nations General Assembly, which urges both parties to refrain from introducing unilateral modifications to the situation of the islands while the sovereignty dispute is pending.

The sources differ in nature: Crónica is a media outlet that covered the event, while the Foreign Ministry is an official source documenting a diplomatic protest. There is no contradiction between them, but neither do they confirm each other: the presidential speech does not mention the HMS Medway incident, and the Foreign Ministry note does not refer to the legislative projects or the announced sanctions.

Reallocation of resources and naval base

At the event, Milei also referred to the reallocation of resources for the creation of an Integrated Naval Base in Tierra del Fuego and investments in telecommunications. According to Crónica, the president clarified that this measure «does not put the surplus at risk.»

The president described the United Kingdom’s government in the Malvinas Islands as «illegitimate» and maintained that «national sovereignty is defended by growing the economy of our compatriots and investing in the defense and protection of our lands and our homeland.»

Chronology of documented events

The following timeline summarizes the verifiable milestones from the sources:

1. September 25, 1991: Joint Declaration between Argentina and the United Kingdom establishing confidence-building measures, including the notification of military movements. (Source: Foreign Ministry)
2. July 13, 2023: The Argentine Foreign Ministry presents a protest note to the United Kingdom over the movements of the HMS Medway, which were not notified. (Source: Foreign Ministry)
3. Announcement on the national network (date not specified): President Milei announces the opening of sanctioning processes against 60 companies and individuals operating in the Malvinas Basin. (Source: Crónica)
4. Wednesday of the event (date not specified): Milei inaugurates the museum and announces the sending of the draft Law for the Defense of National Sovereignty for the following week, as well as the signing of a decree to streamline sanctions. (Source: Crónica)

Value module: comparison between announcements and actions

To gauge the scope of the announced measures, the following calculation is presented:

• Document: Presidential speech reproduced by Crónica (secondary source).
• Agency and date: Presidency of the Nation, event on Wednesday (exact date not reported in the source).
• Unit: Sanctioned companies and individuals.
• Values used: 60 companies and individuals mentioned by the president.
• Operation: No additional calculation is required; it is a declared figure. The source does not detail how many are companies and how many are individuals, nor the selection criteria.

What to follow

The central data point to follow is the entry of the draft Law for the Defense of National Sovereignty into Congress, scheduled for next week according to the announcement. It will also be relevant to observe whether the decree streamlining sanctions is published in the Official Gazette and how the process against the 60 companies and individuals mentioned is implemented. On the diplomatic front, it is worth monitoring the United Kingdom’s response to the protest note of July 13 and whether the unconsulted movements of the HMS Medway persist.