Erdogan says Europe borders are open

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that his country's borders with Europe were open, as thousands of refugees gathered at the frontier with Greece.

Migrants played a cat-and-mouse game with Greek border patrols throughout the night and into Saturday, with some cutting holes in the fence only to be turned back by tear gas and stun grenades.

The move by Turkey to open its border, first announced Thursday, was by many seen as a deliberate attempt to pressure European countries to accept a larger number of refugees and migrants.

The decision came as tensions ratcheted up between Turkey of Syria.

More than 55 Turkish troops have been killed since Turkey began sending further reinforcements into areas of northwest Syria under the control of rebels, which are backed by Turkey.

“We will not close the gates and this will continue,” Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul.

“The European Union has to keep its promises. We are not obliged to look after and feed so many refugees,” Erdogan added.