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Turkey fears new influx of up to 600,000 refugees

The fierce fighting in Aleppo could see a wave of 600,000 Syrian refugees fleeing to the border of Turkey, the country's deputy prime minister has warned.

Turkey has been urged to let in tens of thousands of Syrian refugees who are trapped at its border in freezing conditions after fleeing fighting and bombing in the city of Aleppo.

The German chancellor Angela Merkel is due in Ankara today for talks with the Turkish government on Syria and the refugee crisis.

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EU urges Turkey to take in Syrian refugees on its border

Ms Mogherini said EU support to Turkey was intended to be used on refugees Credit: Reuters

The EU has urged Turkey to open the border to ten thousands of displaced Syrians fleeing from war.

Federica Mogherini, the EU's representative for foreign affairs, said that Turkey had both a moral and legal duty to help genuine asylum seekers.

She added that support provided for Turkey was intended to ensure that the state could give sanctuary to hoist and care for refugees, in comments after a press conference in the Netherlands on Saturday.

It is unquestionable that people coming from inside Syria are Syrians in need of international protection.

– Federica Mogherini

Turkey has said it is caring for some 35,000 refugees massed at its borders, but it has not as yet allowed them to enter.

Today Ms Mogherini said the issue of migrants showed that Europe needed to find “common solutions” or state will find they “don’t find solutions at all.”

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Turkey fears new influx of up to 600,000 refugees

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