A senior German conservative on Wednesday dismissed appeals from several former politicians urging cooperation with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Martin Huber, the secretary-general of the Bavaria-based Christian Social Union (CSU), told German Press Agency (DPA) that "the CSU rules out any cooperation with the AfD."
The party is in alliance with Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) at the national level. The center-right bloc has steadfastly refused to work with the AfD, a policy known as the "firewall."
"The AfD is a danger to our country: they are opponents of NATO, want out of the EU and to move closer to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin," said Huber, criticizing contacts between the party and Moscow.
"That's not patriotism, that's treason," he added. "We will continue to confront the AfD in terms of content, fight it politically and deprive it of its breeding ground with sensible policies."
The remarks came after a group of conservative politicians, including the CDU's former general secretary Peter Tauber and ex-defense minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg from the CSU, demanded that the bloc change course in its handling of the AfD in comments to the Stern news outlet.
"The current stigmatization only helps the AfD," Tauber explained.
The calls are unlikely to receive traction with the CDU/CSU leadership.
Merz and Bavarian Premier Markus Söder have repeatedly ruled out cooperation with the AfD, although Merz was criticized earlier this year when he passed a non-binding motion in parliament with the help of votes from the far-right party.
