The German government sincerely hopes that negotiations will resume as soon as possible German Ambassador in Nicosia, Nikolai von Schoepff, has told the Cyprus News Agency.

In a statement to CNA, the German Ambassador said that a just and lasting settlement reunifying the island is more important than ever.

“The German government sincerely hopes that negotiations will resume as soon as possible and remains convinced that the leaders will continue to do their utmost to bring the talks to a successful conclusion” he said.

Nikolai von Schoepff noted that Germany stands ready to offer its support and share relevant experiences from German unification process.

“A just and lasting settlement reunifying the island is more important than ever and would not only benefit all Cypriots but also send an signal of hope that the peaceful solution of conflicts is possible to the region as a whole.”, he concluded.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci have been engaged in UN-led talks since May 2015 with an aim to reunify the island under a federal roof.

Akinci walked away last week from a meeting, in the framework of the UN-led negotiations on the Cyprus problem, shortly after it began. It was announced that the two leaders had elaborated earlier on their positions as regards an amendment passed by the Cypriot  Parliament which includes a once a year discussion of ten minutes in school classrooms about the 1950 referendum, which favored back then a union (or `enosis` in the Greek language) with Greece.

President Anastasiades has described the House amendment  “wrong” and called on Akinci to return to the negotiating table. Akinci demands that the amendment of the Cypriot Parliament is revoked before returning to the negotiating table. The Cypriot President recalled the unanimous decision of the National Council where it declared that no one is pursuing “Enosis” or division, noting that “we remain committed to the unanimous decisions of the National Council, the UN resolutions and Security Council decisions for the type of solution that we are working for. This should have been more than satisfactory”.

Government Spokesman Nicos Christodoulides announced on Wednesday on twitter that the meeting between President Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Akinci, scheduled for Thursday, February 23, was not going to take place, due to Akinci`s refusal to attend. He added that the ball is now in the Turkish court.