Germany's beleaguered Armin Laschet, the would-be chancellor from Angela Merkel's conservative camp, said Wednesday he remained willing to form the next government even after two smaller parties tapped his Social Democratic rivals for coalition talks.

Laschet said his center-right CDU-CSU bloc "respects the decision" by the Greens and the liberals to pursue a three-way alliance with the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). But the conservatives "are still ready to hold talks," he told reporters.