German Chancellor ‘Horrified’ by Russia’s Bombing of Syria

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that she is "not just appalled but horrified" by the amount of bombs that are being dropped in Syria with the help of Russia.

Merkel was in Ankara, Turkey to discuss the Syrian migrant crisis with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Both parties agreed on a set of resolutions, which included an initiative aimed to stop the numerous attacks on Aleppo, one of Syria's largest cities.

They also agreed to seek out more cooperation from NATO specifically for help with monitoring the Greece-Turkey sea route.

Merkel added that Germany and Turkey will push United Nations countries to abide by a resolution passed in December that demanded all parties to stop bombing Syrian regions with a civilian population.

The recent bombings and attacks on Aleppo have forced thousands of Syrians to flee toward the Turkish border crossing of Oncupinar. Turkey has yet to opened its border to the refugees but is being pressured by different groups to do so. Turkey has already taken in about 2.5 million refugees since the Syrian Civil War started.

"We are worried that opening the gates will lead to an increase in refugees," said Burak Kacacaoglu, a spokesman for the Islamic charity group, Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH), reported by the Washington Post. "We are concerned about the air strikes which are increasingly targeting civilian areas. This is what causes refugees."

Turkish officials have been providing assistance to the refugees who are currently living in camps near the border. Germany, who agreed to be a part of the emergency aid group, will also be providing assistance to the refugees.

"No one should excuse or show tolerance toward the Russian air attacks that amount to ethnic massacres by saying 'Turkey takes care of the Syrian refugees anyway,'" Davutoglu said. "No one can expect Turkey to take on the burden on its own."

Davutoglu added that the border will open for some refugees "when necessary."

Other issues that both countries wants to address include finding ways to prevent illegal migration and figuring out how to help non-Syrian refugees return home if possible.