NATO on Friday called on Syria and Russia to halt their airstrikes following the killing of 33 Turkish soldiers in northeastern Syria, as scores of migrants gathered at Turkey's borders seeking entry into Europe.
Groups of migrants in Turkey were seen heading toward Turkey's borders with Greece and Bulgaria on Friday after a senior official said Ankara will no longer abide by a 2016 EU deal and stop refugees from reaching Europe.
"We have decided, effectively immediately, not to stop Syrian refugees from reaching Europe by land or sea," said the official, who requested anonymity.
"All refugees, including Syrians, are now welcome to cross into the European Union," he said.
Greece and Bulgaria in turn bolstered border security, while the European Union warned that the fighting in northern Syria could degenerate into open war and that the 27-nation bloc stands ready to protect its security interests, the Associated Press reported.
"Allies condemn the continued indiscriminate airstrikes by the Syrian regime and Russia in Idlib province," Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said after chairing emergency talks between NATO ambassadors.
"I call on them to stop their offensive, to respect international law and to back UN efforts for a peaceful solution.”
Around 300 migrants, including women and children, were in the group which began heading towards the borders between the two European Union countries and Turkey's Edirne province.
Syrians, Iranians, Iraqis, Pakistanis, Afghans and Moroccans were among those in the group, it said.
"We heard about it on the television," said Afghan migrant Sahin Nebizade, 16, one of a group of migrants, Reuters reported.
"We've been living in Istanbul. We want to go to Edirne and then on to Greece," Nebizade said before his taxi headed for the northwestern province of Edirne and border crossings with Bulgaria and Greece, 200 km (124 miles) west of Istanbul.
Erdogan has repeatedly threatened to open the gates for migrants to travel to Europe. Under the 2016 deal, the EU has provided billions of euros in aid in return for Ankara agreeing to stem the influx of migrants into Europe.
