At the request of the governor of Tierra del Fuego, Gustavo Melella, and the mayor of Río Grande, Martín Pérez , via formal requests, the South American Confederation of Municipalities (COSUDEM) repudiated the recent British military exercises in the Malvinas Islands and expressed its concern about the illegal development of hydrocarbon exploration in the area.

"The COSUDEM expresses its most energetic repudiation of military interference in our islands, reiterating its firmest support for the legitimate rights of the Argentine Republic in the dispute over sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands, South Georgia Islands, the South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas,” the organization said in a statement signed by its president, Juan Matteo.

"Likewise, it expresses concern about the development of illegitimate hydrocarbon exploration activities in said area, in clear violation of resolution 31/49 of the UN General Assembly," he added.

At this point, it should be noted that the Israeli-owned oil company Navitas Petroleum states that it will extract crude oil from the sea north of the Malvinas from the end of 2026, based on an illegal license granted by the Kelper government.   In addition, the firm plans to present an environmental impact report to the island authorities in this first quarter of 2024.

"We remember that this conflict is no longer just Argentine but Latin American and that it is not only about the occupation of a territory, of some islands, but about the projection of a foreign power over the natural resources of an entire region that includes wealth in fishing resources, a large amount of minerals and one of the most important water reserves in the world,” COSUDEM noted in the document.