EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini says "the support that the EU is providing to Turkey, among others, is aimed exactly at guaranteeing" that Ankara can protect and host people that are seeking asylum. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the government was keeping "this open border policy for these people fleeing from the aggression of the regime as well as air strikes of Russia." A senior government official says Turkey is caring for some 30-35,000 displaced Syrians on the Syrian side of the border and has no immediate plans to let them in. Turkey kept its Oncupinar border crossing, opposite Syria's Bab al-Salam, closed for a second day Saturday and aid workers said the refugees were being directed to displaced people's camps near the border. Interior Ministry spokeswoman Ilze Petersone-Godmane says the two families of two adults and one child each "have expressed willingness to learn Latvian and integrate" in this Baltic country of nearly 2 million inhabitants. German Chancellor Angela Merkel says giving refuge to Iraqis and Syrians is part of her country's effort to counter the Islamic State group. Turkish media say police have raided three factories producing unlicensed and poor-quality inflatable boats used to smuggle migrants to Greece. The state-run Anadolu Agency said Saturday police seized 49 boats in the simultaneous raids in the Aegean coastal city of Izmir a day earlier. According to the private Dogan news agency, they faced administrative action that could lead to the closing the factories.
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