Erdogan warns against new wave of refugees from Idlib
TEHRAN. Sept 7 (Interfax) - To avoid sparking a new wave of Syrian refugees from Idlib, terrorists there have been offered to surrender weapons, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
"Our steps aim to prevent a wave of refugees together. So our fight against terrorists has to be successful. And that is why, at this summit in particular, we raised the issue of making sure terrorists surrender weapons. And that is the message that was sent to terrorist organizations," Erdogan told a press conference in Tehran on Friday after a trilateral Syria summit with Iran and Turkey.
The issue was discussed between the presidents both bilaterally and at today's joint summit, he said.
The Turkish-Syrian border is 115 km long, Erdogan said.
"Where will the population of Idlib migrate to? We have given shelter in our country to 3.5 million refugees already, and the population of Idlib is also 3.5 million. That is, we have the energy and the capabilities to prevent these refugees from migrating to Turkey," Erdogan said.
The issue of ensuring surrender of weapons by militants was also raised at the summit in Tehran, he said.