Turkey

Turkey lets refugees exit towards Europe

cde.news desk 29 February 2020, 06:30 · 2 min read

Syrian refugees board a bus as they head to border villages of Edirne province, in Istanbul, Turkey, 28 February 2020. The Turkish government announced its decision to no longer stop refugees from reaching Europe, after 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in Idlib, Syria on 27 February. EPA-EFE/AKIN CELIKTAS

Groups of refugees and migrants are heading towards the EU after Turkey said it would not abide by a deal to stop them reaching Europe.

Turkey’s communications chief said the country had not received enough support in hosting millions of Syrian refugees.

Its decision followed a deadly attack on Turkish troops by Syrian government forces in northern Syria.

The incident sparked fears of a major escalation involving Turkey and Syria’s military ally, Russia.

Refugees try to reach Europe — Refugees walk near fences enforcing the Greek border as they try to enter Europe, in Edirne, Turkey, 28 February 2020. EPA-EFE/ERDEM SAHIN

Greece and Bulgaria – which border Turkey – have sent reinforcements to prevent people entering. Greek police have been deterring attempts to cross the border with tear gas, reports say.

At the Pazarkule border post with Greece, scores of migrants faced barbed wire fences and smoke grenades.

At least 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in a bombardment in Idlib, the last Syrian province where Syrian rebel groups hold significant territory.

Syrian government forces, supported by Russia, have been trying to retake Idlib from jihadist groups and Turkish-backed rebel factions.

Emergency United Nations Secuirty Council Meeting about Attack on Turkish Troops in Syria — Feridun Hadi Sinirlioglu (R), Turkey’s permanent representative to the United Nations, talks with Kelly Craft (L), the United States’ permanent representative to the United Nations, following an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting called in response to an airstrike on Thursday in northwest Syria that killed 33 Turkish troops, at United Nations headquarters in New York, New York, USA, 28 February 2020. The airstrike, which was reportedly carried out by Russian-backed Syrian government troops, dramatically raised tensions in the region and diplomats were meeting in an effort to avoid further military conflict between NATO -backed Turkey and Russia. EPA-EFE/JUSTIN LANE

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described it as “one of the most alarming moments” of the nine-year-old Syrian war.

“The most pressing need is an immediate ceasefire before the situation gets entirely out of control,” Guterres told reporters in New York. “In all my contacts with those involved, I have had one simple message: step back from the edge of escalation.”