(VOVworld) – On Sunday Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said he was ready to work with Germany to prevent illegal migration to Europe.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (R) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel attend a joint press conference in Istanbul, Turkey, on Oct 18, 2015. (Photo: He Canling)

In a joint press conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Istanbul, Davutoglu said the migrant crisis facing Europe cannot be resolved without a solution to the conflict in Syria. Turkey fears that recent attacks by Syrian government forces and the Islamic State, and Russian air strikes on Syria’s second largest city, Aleppo, would trigger a new exodus of refugees. He called for the creation of a secure zone in Syria. He said EU countries have asked Ankara to keep the Syrian migrants in Turkey and accept the return of illegal refugees to Turkey in return for financial aid.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Turkey’s hosting of more than two million Syrian refugees on its soil without international financial support has caused the migrant crisis. She pledged further cooperation with Turkey on the migrant issue.