The dire situation in Syria's Idlib province caused by fighting that has pitted Syrian government forces against Turkish troops and Turkish-backed militias has created a wave of refugees trying to flee the conflict. In recent days, Turkey has announced the opening of its borders with Europe, citing its inability to take in any more refugees.
“Millions of refugees” will soon be moving toward Turkey's borders with the European Union, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced.
“The period of Turkey's unilateral self-sacrifice in relation to the refugees has come to an end,” Erdogan said in a televised speech in Ankara on Monday. “Since we have opened the borders, the number of refugees heading toward Europe has reached hundreds of thousands. This number will soon be in the millions,” he warned.
According to Erdogan, European leaders have been calling him to urge him to close the borders. “They call me and say: ‘close the borders'. I tell them it is too late. The West must share the burden of responsibility for refugees. Today, I will meet with the Bulgarian prime minister, and tomorrow, I will talk to [German Chancellor Angela] Merkel. The holding of four- or five-party summits on Syria is on the agenda,” the president said.
German government spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters on Monday that false Turkish claims that the way to the European Union is wide open put migrants in a difficult position.
