German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Thursday that Germany would take greater responsibility in international affairs in the future but would remain in a European framework during the process.

In a statement posted on his ministry's website, Steinmeier reassured Germany's European partners that Europe remained the foundation of Germany's foreign policy.

"When it comes to shaping global development, Germany is capable of acting effectively only with a solid European framework," the minister said.

He added that as Europe's largest economy, Germany must invest in integration.

"Europe should benefit from Germany's strength, just as we benefit from Europe's," he said.

Steinmeier made the remark as his ministry published a reviewing report on German foreign policy a day earlier.

In the report, three priorities were set for German foreign policy: managing crisis, preserving global order and European integration.

"We must face the fact that globalization has made crises the rule, not the exception," Steinmeier said, adding that Germany was willing to be more involved in international cooperation in this area, focusing on conflicts prevention and post-conflict management.

On guarding international order, Steinmeier said Germany must invest in institutions and international laws and help protect public goods such as the seas, space, and the Internet.

Hot debates erupted in Germany when top officials announced a year ago to adjust the country's restraint foreign policy and get more involved in international affairs.

A survey by Koerber Foundation in January 2015 showed that 62 percent of Germans thought the country should continue to exercise restraint instead of becoming more involved in affairs beyond its borders.

In a speech at Munich Security Conference earlier this month, German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said the German government was committed to change its policy and would explain throughout Germany about the necessity of the change.

According to her, Germany would seek a "leadership from the center", which means to take a leadership in global affairs by cooperating with its partners instead of "putting itself in charge and telling others what to do".