Germany Says Syria Safe Zone 'Up to Putin and Erdogan'

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan should define an area inside Syria that would be safe for refugees and aid organisations, a spokeswoman for Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday.

Erdogan and Putin, both of whose forces are involved in fierce fighting in Idlib province on the Turkish border, are set to meet in Moscow Thursday.

"When they talk about Idlib tomorrow, the presidents should talk about defining an area where provisioning for internally displaced people can take place, where they won't fall victim to military violence," Merkel spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said in Berlin.

"It's up to Putin and Erdogan to define such a zone," Demmer said.

She added that Merkel had urged the creation of the zone in telephone calls with both leaders.

Close to one million people in Idlib have been displaced by a government assault, backed by Russian air power, though they are currently blocked from entering Turkey.

Erdogan said Wednesday in Ankara he hoped a ceasefire would be "swiftly established" when he meets Putin.

"Effective and safe access for aid organisations to (the safe zone) must be guaranteed," Demmer said, warning of a "dramatic humanitarian situation on the ground."

German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer in October suggested an internationally-controlled secure zone on the Syrian-Turkish border to protect refugees.

But the proposal ran into internal divisions in the Berlin coalition government and was soon overtaken by facts on the ground as Turkey launched an offensive of its own into Syrian territory.

With almost four million Syrian refugees already on Turkish soil, Erdogan is keen to keep further people displaced by the conflict from crossing the border.

He has piled pressure on the European Union to intervene by claiming he had opened the gates on Turkey's border with Greece to refugees, prompting thousands to head for the crossings.

But Greek officials rushed to push them back, resulting in sometimes violent clashes.

Erdogan said Europe must support Turkey's "political and humanitarian solutions in Syria" if it wants to resolve the refugee situation.