(CNN) Turkey cannot handle a fresh wave of migrants from Syria and "will not bear all alone the burden," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday, warning that Europe would feel the impact as tens of thousands of refugees headed toward the Turkish border.

More than 3.6 million refugees are estimated to have sought safety in Turkey since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011, the largest refugee population in the world.

Around 80,000 refugees escaping violence in opposition-held Idlib, in northwestern Syria, were heading to the Turkish border, Erdogan said at a news conference in Istanbul Sunday, according to state news agency Anadolu.

"In such a case, Turkey will not bear all alone the burden of this migration," Erdogan said. "If violence against the people of Idlib does not end, this number will rise further."

The effect would be felt by all European countries, especially Greece, Erdogan added.

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