In this Thursday, May 25, 2017 photo three-year-old Ragika from Syria plays with a toy horse at the refugee camp of Ritsona about 86 kilometers (53 miles) north of Athens. (Photo: AP)

ANKARA, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- The EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos said Thursday there is an "urgent need" to stop refugees entering Greece from Turkey in an illegal way.

"Irregular arrivals in Greece have increased over the past months. There is an urgent need to control the departures from Turkey and I appreciate the work already done by Turkey, especially as the migratory pressure on Turkey continues," he said at a joint press conference with interior ministers of Turkey, Germany and France.

Turkey's continued engagement with the Greek authorities is indispensable, he said, noting that the work must be a joint effort.

For his part, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu warned of a migration wave of approximately 3.75 million people due to the possible developments in Syria's Idlib province.

He also called on the EU to share the refugee burden with Ankara since Turkey hosts nearly 3,6 million Syrians.

Recalling that Ankara "has fulfilled its commitments" under the 2016 migrant deal with the EU, Soylu added "we expect Europe to be in the same frame."

"Wherever we can make a contribution, we are willing to do so," said Horst Seehofer, the German federal interior minister.

The meeting came after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month warned that Turkey might "open gates" to allow Syrians to cross Europe if plans to establish a safe zone with the United States in northern Syria, which aims to resettle refugees, fails to realize.