Germany’s primary opposition leader, Friedrich Merz, ruled out any cooperation with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

“We don’t work with the AfD,” Merz, the leader of the Christian Democrats (CDU), stated in an interview with ARD Das Erste. “There are majorities in Germany without the AfD.”

The pitfalls of joining hands with the far-right were underscored for Merz in July when he had to row back from comments suggesting he could work with AfD at a local level following a backlash from within his own ranks.

Founded a decade ago, the nationalist, anti-immigrant AfD recently reached a new high in a national opinion poll but the idea of cooperating with the party has been taboo for Germany’s mainstream politicians.

Merz called for a U-Turn in migration policy, proposing a shift in asylum policies and an end to open borders, at least temporarily.