Algeria on Sunday expressed regret over the United Kingdom’s recent endorsement of Morocco’s autonomy plan as a solution to the long-standing dispute over Western Sahara, criticizing the move as dismissive of the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination.

In an official statement, the Algerian Foreign Ministry said it “regrets the United Kingdom’s decision to support Morocco’s autonomy initiative,” noting that “over the 18 years since it was proposed, the plan has never been presented to the Sahrawis as a basis for negotiation.”

The response came hours after British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, during a visit to Rabat, stated that the UK views Morocco’s 2007 autonomy proposal as “the most credible, sustainable, and pragmatic basis” for a lasting resolution to the conflict.

With this announcement, the United Kingdom becomes the third permanent member of the UN Security Council to formally back Morocco’s autonomy plan, following similar endorsements by the United States and France. The move marks a notable shift in international positions on the stalled UN-led peace process.