Argentina has branded British attempts to explore the seas around the Falklands Islands for oil ‘ illegitimate ’ and says it will mount a legal challenge – but has ruled out another conflict . Daniel Filmus , Argentina ’ s secretary of state for the islands , told an event in London that Britain ’ s decision to increase military spending in the South Atlantic was ‘ gunboat diplomacy ’ . Mr Filmus said military conflict ‘ belongs to the past ’ and claimed : ‘ The United Kingdom can count on Argentina as an ally. ’ Argentina has branded British attempts to explore the seas around the Falklands Islands for oil ‘ illegitimate ’ But he added : ‘ The unilateral and illegitimate appropriation of non-renewable natural resources that is being carried out by the UK in the South Atlantic has been the subject of continued protest by the Argentine Republic . ‘ Argentina has been forced to resort to defensive measures , ’ he said , using ‘ the law and political action as its main tools in order to protect the natural resources in the area under dispute ’ . He said Argentinian judicial authorities would consider the case against British companies involved in the oil exploration . Addressing the question of possible future conflict , Mr Filmus said : ‘ Argentina bears no grudge against the inhabitants of the islands in spite of all the manoeuvres designed to prove otherwise . 'What Argentina is not going to do is give in . We do not wish to spend another penny on arms . It is through negotiations that we will solve this . 'We do not know how many years it will take ... But what justification can there be for mothers crying over the deaths of their sons ? It really must be dialogue. ’ Daniel Filmus 's comments sparked a furious reaction from Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond ( pictured ) Mr Filmus ’ s comments sparked a furious reaction from Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond , who told Sky News : ‘ It is an outrageous piece of bullying and threatening against the Falkland islanders ’ perfect right to develop their own economic resources and Argentina needs to stop this kind of behaviour and start acting like a responsible member of the international community. ’ Britain defeated Argentina in a 1982 war over the South Atlantic islands and administers them as an overseas territory , whose population of around 3,000 voted overwhelmingly to remain under British rule in a referendum in 2013 . Argentina says it is the rightful owner of the islands , which it calls Las Malvinas , a claim dating back centuries to the Spanish colonial era . The dispute has escalated in recent years with the discovery of oil and gas deposits .
Falklands claims British exploration around Argentina for oil is ‘ illegitimate ’ The country says it will mount a legal challenge but has ruled out a conflict . Comment sparks furious reaction from Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond .