“I would say to my brothers coming from Syria that we see you as our brothers and sisters,” Erdogan told the crowd.

“If you see us as your brothers too, then you are not far away from your country, you are just away from your houses. Turkey is your country too.”

Meanwhile, the hashtag #ÜlkemdeSuriyeliİstemiyorum, which means “I don’t want Syrians in my country” has been trending on social media.

Erdogan recently described Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as a “more advanced terrorist” than ISIL – blaming him for the country’s war.

Around 2.7 million Syrian refugees are believed to be in Turkey. (Euronews)