BERLIN, March 22 (Xinhua) --- The German government intends to continue to consider the Golan Heights to be occupied territory, deputy government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer announced in Berlin on Friday.

The German position remains unchanged and in accordance with Resolution 497, which was unanimously adopted by the United Nations (UN) in 1981, said Demmer.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said that it was time to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the region -- a declaration that was criticized by the Arab League, Russia, Syria, Turkey and Iran. A spokeswoman for the European Commission has also rejected Trump's statement.

Demmer pointed out that the United Nations does not recognize the Israeli annexation of the area, and she warned against intensifying tensions.

Israel seized the land in a war in 1967 and annexed it unilaterally in 1981, but the international community never recognized the move.