Turkey has hosted 3.5 million Syrian refugees, not open to more: Erdogan

Turkey can no longer afford to take in any more refugees from Syria, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said during a summit with the leaders of Russia and Iran in Tehran on Friday.

Turkey has accepted 3.5 million refugees from Syria since the beginning of the seven-year war. Erdogan pledged in June to facilitate the return of refugees.

The Turkish president was speaking at a summit in Tehran with Iran and Russia's leaders, where they met to discuss the fate of the rebel-held province of Idlib. On Friday, Erdogan said steps would be taken to prevent further migration from Syria.

OCHA estimates that if the offensive were to take place, 800,000 people would be displaced.