Erdogan: Turkey cannot endure new wave of migration

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that with 3.7 million Syrians already in Turkey, the country was not in a position to endure a new wave of migration.

Erdogan was speaking for the first time since 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in airstrikes in northwest Syria on Thursday, the largest single loss of life for Turkish forces since their country became involved in Syria in 2016.

Overnight and into Saturday, thousands of migrants gathered at the border with Greece playing a cat-and-mouse game with Greek border patrols which are not allowing them to enter Europe.

Greek authorities also fired tear gas to repulse attempts by the crowd to push through the border between Friday and Saturday.

The move by Turkey to open its border, first announced Thursday, was seen in Greece as a deliberate attempt to pressure European countries.

It came as tensions ratcheted up between Turkey and Syria.

More than 55 Turkish troops have been killed since Turkey began sending further reinforcements into areas of northwest Syria under the control of rebels, which are backed by Turkey.

If Erdogan really has opened the border, it would be a dramatic departure from Turkey's current policy.

Under a 2016 deal, Turkey agreed to stem the tide of refugees to Europe in return for financial aid.

It has since protested that the EU has failed to honour the agreement.