BEIRUT — Turkey came under mounting pressure to open its border Saturday as tens of thousands of Syrians fleeing a government onslaught sought entry and the European Union called on Ankara to grant them refuge.

As many as 35,000 Syrians have massed along the closed border, according to Suleyman Tapsiz, governor of the Turkish border province of Kilis. He said Turkey would provide aid to the displaced within Syria, but would only open the gates in the event of an “extraordinary crisis.”

Although Turkey is providing aid to thousands of displaced Syrians, such as these near the Bab al-Salam border crossing in Syria, it has yet to open its gates to more refugees. The Associated Press

The Norwegian Refugee Council said thousands of Syrians have arrived at seven of the main informal camps near the Turkish border. The group said the camps were already at capacity before the latest influx, and that aid groups are working nonstop to deliver tents and essential items to the displaced.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini urged Turkey to open its borders to “Syrians in need for international protection,” and said the EU aiding Ankara for that purpose.

EU nations have committed $3.3 billion to Turkey for helping refugees as part of incentives aimed at persuading it to do more to stop thousands of migrants from leaving for Greece.

Turkey already hosts some 2.5 million Syrian refugees.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Saturday that his country maintains an “open border policy for these people fleeing from the aggression of the (Syrian) regime as well as airstrikes of Russia.”

He said Turkey had already allowed in more than 5,000 recently displaced Syrians, but did not address the restrictions along the border.

Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces have been advancing across the north in recent days behind a curtain of heavy Russian airstrikes, and could soon encircle rebel strongholds in Aleppo, once the country’s largest city and commercial hub. This week alone, Russian warplanes hit close to 900 targets across Syria, including near Aleppo.

The advance of Syrian troops and the blistering Russian airstrikes in Aleppo and elsewhere led to the breakdown of indirect peace talks launched earlier this week in Geneva, with the opposition saying there was no point in negotiating under fire. U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura hopes to resume the talks by Feb. 25, but it’s unclear if either delegation will return.

Related Stories