Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that he hoped to reach a deal on a ceasefire in Syria when he meets his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin later in the week.

He also vowed to keep the doors open for migrants heading towards Europe, as he mounted pressure on Western countries to give Turkey more assistance over the Syrian conflict.

Turkey said Sunday that it had launched a full military operation against Russian-backed Syrian forces following fierce battles between the Syrian Army and Turkish-backed terrorists in Idlib.

Erdogan’s office earlier confirmed he will hold a summit with Putin in Moscow on Thursday to discuss the escalating violence.

“I hope that he (Putin) will take the necessary measures there, such as a ceasefire, and that we will find a solution to this affair,” Erdogan said in a televised speech to members of his party in Ankara.

He also warned Europe that it will have to shoulder its part of the migrant “burden”, vowing that Turkey would continue to allow refugees to leave its territory.

“After we opened the doors, there were multiple calls saying ‘close the doors’,” he said.

“I told them ‘it’s done. It’s finished. The doors are now open. Now, you will have to take your share of the burden’.”

Source: AFP (edited by Al-Manar English Website)