Erdogan: Turkey Cannot Handle a New Migrant Wave from Syria

Turkey cannot cope with a new migrant wave from Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today, adding that unless violence in the Syrian province of Idlib stops, European countries will feel the effects of such an influx of people, Reuters reported.

Speaking at an awards ceremony in Istanbul, Erdogan said more than 80,000 people were moving from Idlib to Turkey because of Russian and Syrian bombing in the area. He said it was inevitable that Europe would be confronted with conditions such as those of the 2015 crisis, unless it helped stop Idlib violence.

If the flow increased, "Turkey will not carry this migration burden alone", he added.

"The negative effects of this pressure on us will be an issue felt by all European countries, especially Greece," he warned.

Erdogan said Turkey is doing everything it can to stop the Idlib bombing.

He announced that a Turkish delegation would be leaving for Moscow tomorrow to discuss developments in Syria, and then Turkey would decide what steps to take.

According to Interior Ministry figures, the number of refugees was 4.2 million in 2017 and has now reached 4.9 million. While 3.6 million Syrians are living in Turkey, more than 415,000 Syrian children have been born in Turkey since the start of the civil war in 2011, Daily Sabah reported.

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