23 Aug 2021; MEMO: Turkey cannot bear the burden of a new wave of migrants, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned yesterday.
"Turkey is currently hosting around five million refugees," Erdogan told European Council President, Charles Michel, stressing that his country could not "support an additional migratory burden."
"You cannot expect Turkey to take on the responsibility of third countries," he said.
The unexpected power grab by the Taliban has triggered a rush to flee Afghanistan, including by civilians who assisted foreign soldiers or groups and now fear retribution.
Over the past few weeks, Afghan refugees have been making the journey through Iran to Turkey in an effort to reach Europe. As a result, Turkey has strengthened its border defences.
