Turkey says it is Letting in Refugees in a ‘Controlled Fashion’

After days of waiting by the Turkish border of Oncupinar, Syrian refugees were finally able to cross.

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday that Turkey is letting refugees through the border in a "controlled fashion" after being pressured by the United Nations to do so. So far, thousands of people have already been let through.

"Recently more than 50,000 people came to the border with Turkey due to Russia's air attacks. We took in 10,000 of these migrants and we are building some camps at the other side of the border for some," Cavusoglu said on his trip to Budapest, reported by Reuters. "We are allowing in those who want to come, in a controlled fashion."

More than 30,000 Syrians have fled from Aleppo as pro-government forces, with the help of their allies, advance into the city in order to take neighborhoods back from rebel fighters. The progress of the forces has left many humanitarian organizations worried that aid to civilians could be cut off.

Cavusoglu warned that if Russian airstrikes and ground attacks continue in Aleppo, the number of migrants seeking safety in Turkey could reach one million.

At the beginning of the attacks, instead of opening the border gate , Turkey offered assistance and aid to the people camped out at Bab al Salama, which is located on the Syrian side of the border. However, after the U.N. and the European Union urged Turkey to open its border, the country acquiesced.

In response to the influx of migrants, the E.U. has also agreed to pledge 3 billion euros that would be used to fund programs to help Syrians settle into Turkey. The E.U. wants Turkey to prevent migrants from traveling illegally into Europe.

Turkey has taken in about 2.5 million refugees since the Syrian Civil War started in 2011.