Ireland Concerned Over Likely Closure of Last Syria-Turkey Border Crossing

Ireland is concerned over the possible closure of the last remaining Syria-Turkey border crossing, and will raise this issue during the EU-Turkey summit on migration, Prime Minister Enda Kenny said Monday.

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) – Speaking to the journalists before the EU-Turkey summit on migration issues, Kenny said he had received reports of the possible closure of the Bab al-Hawa Border Crossing between Syria and Turkey. The official stressed that some 500 trucks used this crossing monthly to deliver humanitarian aid.

"If this is to close, and that seems to be imminent, that would mean that another million people would want to cross the border and seek refuge into Turkey and from there through to Greece," Kenny told reporters before the summit, stressing that he would discuss this issue with the Turkish prime minister.

Earlier this month, reports emerged claiming that the border crossing was being shut by the Turkish authorities.

Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with the army loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting several opposition factions and militant organizations.

According to the UN refugee agency, 6.6 million Syrians are displaced inside the conflict-torn Arab republic, while about 4.6 million people fled the country, triggering a massive refugee crisis in the European Union.

The EU border agency Frontex recorded more than 1.83 million illegal border crossings into the European Union in 2015.