Merkel holds talks in Turkey as thousands continue to flee Aleppo offensive

The EU has promised $3.3billion of aid in return for Ankara's help in stopping the flow of new arrivals on its shores, most of whom make their way through Turkey.

8 February 2016, 2:07pm

1 min read

The closed Turkish border crossing with Syria, on the outskirts of the town of Kilis, in southeastern Turkey

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is in Turkey and discussing measures to stem the flow of refugees bound for Europe.

Tens of thousands of Syrians remain stranded at the border with Turkey after fleeing a Russia-backed government offensive in Aleppo.

The talks also came as reports emerged that another 33 people died off Turkey's coast attempting to reach Greece.

Merkel, whose country let in more than a million asylum seekers last year, is holding talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in the Turkish capital on Monday.

The EU has promised $3.3billion of aid in return for Ankara's help in stopping the flow of new arrivals on its shores, most of whom make their way through Turkey.

The bloc's leaders have said Ankara is obliged to keep its frontiers open to refugees, while also pressing for tighter border controls for those entering Europe.

Turkey's Oncupinar border crossing, which faces the Bab al-Salama frontier post inside Syria, remained closed on Sunday as refugees, mostly women and children, gathered there for a third day waiting for the gate to open.

The governor of Kilis province, Suleyman Tapsiz, said that Turkey was taking care of the 30,000-plus refugees who had gathered around the nearby Syrian city of Azaz over the space of 48 hours.

Another 70,000 may head for the frontier if Russian air strikes and Syrian regime military advances continued in Aleppo, he added.