Turkey, Russia discuss tensions in Syria as migrants push west

NATO envoys hold emergency talks in wake of deadly airstrike

presidents of Turkey and Russia spoke over the phone on Friday, a day after Syrian government airstrikes killed 33 Turkish troops, significantly ratcheting up tensions between Ankara and Moscow. It was the highest number of Turkish soldiers killed in a single day since Ankara first intervened in the Syrian conflict in 2016.

The development was the most serious escalation in the conflict between Turkish and Russia-backed Syrian forces and raised the prospect of allout war with millions of Syrian civilians trapped in the middle.

NATO envoys held emergency talks at the request of Turkey, a NATO member, and scores of migrants began converging on Turkey’s border with Greece seeking entry into Europe after Turkey said it was “no longer able to hold refugees.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country already hosts more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees, has long threatened to “open the gates” for millions of refugees eager to flee to Europe unless more international support was provided.

Refugees, meanwhile, headed to the land border with Greece, taking minibuses and taxis from Istanbul. Dozens waited at the Turkish side of the border gate at Pazarkule and dozens of others were in no man’s land between the two countries.

Others headed to Turkey’s west coast to attempt to reach the Greek islands, a short distance away. Several rubber dinghy boats with groups of people clambering aboard were seen on Friday, heading for the island of Lesbos after apparently setting off from Ayvacik, northwest Turkey, in broad daylight.

A Greek police official said dozens of people had gathered on the Turkish side of the land border in Greece’s northeastern Evros region, shouting “open the borders.”

Greek police and military border patrols were deployed on the Greek side to prevent anyone trying to cross without authorization.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the press on the record.

At one point, Greek police said they used tear gas and flash grenades to move migrants back, after an estimated 450 people gathered at the Turkish side of the Kastanies border crossing. The crossing was closed temporarily.

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy warned the movement of migrants to the west could continue if the situation in Idlib deteriorated.

“Some asylum seekers and migrants in our country, worried about developments, have begun to move toward our western borders,” he said.

“If the situation worsens this risk will continue to increase.” However, he added that there was “no change” in Turkey’s migration policy.

Bulgaria said it was also beefing up security on its border with Turkey to counter a possible migrant influx, deploying “army units, national guard and border police staff,” Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said after a cabinet meeting.

“There is a real threat” of a new migrant wave from Turkey, he said.