ANKARA: Turkey and Germany plan to seek help from Nato allies in monitoring the flow of migrants from Syria trying to get to Europe across the Aegean Sea, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Monday.

Speaking at a joint news conference in Ankara with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Davutoglu said the matter would be jointly raised by the two countries at a meeting of Nato defence ministers on Thursday.

“Turkey and Germany will together recommend to Nato ... Nato becoming involved concerning the consequences of the flow of refugees from Syria,” Davutoglu said.

“In particular, we will make a joint effort on the effective use of Nato’s observation and monitoring mechanisms on the border and in the Aegean,” he said, giving no further details.

Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert wrote on Twitter that support for the Turkish coast guard and the European Union’s Frontex border agency would be discussed at a “Nato level”. Nato had no immediate comment.

More than 900,000 people fleeing Syria, Afghanistan and other war-torn or impoverished countries arrived in Greece from Turkey last year, often risking their lives to cross the Aegean in overloaded boats. Hundreds have died in the attempt.

Published in Dawn, February 9th, 2016