Germany should play a bigger role in world affairs, Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted on Wednesday, on the campaign trail for her Christian Democrats (CDU) party ahead of regional elections next week, according to Deutsche Welle. 

The country should not just spread its influence via exports, the chancellor argued. “Rather, we will have to take on more responsibility in an open world for what happens outside our European borders,” she said from a CDU rally in the town of Wittlich in Rhineland-Palatinate, one of three states about to hold parliamentary ballots.

“That means more development aid, that means more common standards on climate protection, that means fair trade, and a lot more than one perhaps feels in a closed society,” Merkel added.

Also, the German Chancellor noted that one of the most pressing issues of modern Europe is the migrant crisis which, in her view, cannot be resolved without addressing the situation in Syria.