Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a speech aired by Ihlas News Agency (Turkey) that Syrian refugees are not living in humane conditions, and he criticized the international community and the European Union for not giving Turkey financial and logistical support for constructing housing for refugees in a 20-mile-deep safe zone along Turkey's border with Syria, the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) reported today.

He said the situation is further exacerbated by refugees from Afghanistan and by developments in Idlib, and threatened that Turkey might be "forced" to open its border into Europe if it does not receive the support it is requesting. He asked: "Are we to be the only ones to bear this burden?" He added that Turkey is cooperating closely with Russia in order to keep Idlib and Syria safe.