Turkey cannot take on the burden of housing refugees from Afghanistan, the country's foreign minister has said – as the European Union's interior minister plans to release a statement saying the bloc will prevent an increase in migration into the EU. 

Turkey currently houses 300,000 Afghan refugees and 3.7 million Syrians after a deal between it and the EU in 2016 allowed Turkey to become a host for migrants in exchange for billions of dollars for refugee projects. 

"We have sufficiently carried out our moral and humanitarian responsibilities regarding migration," said Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu during a joint press conference with his German counterpart.

"It is out of the question for us to take an additional refugee burden."

According to an estimate by the UN refugee agency UNHCR, around half a million Afghan citizens could leave the country by the end of the year because of the recent Taliban takeover.

The organization asked Afghanistan's neighboring countries to keep their borders open so people could leave Afghanistan safely.

And both Greece and Turkey have reinforced their own borders in anticipation of an increase in people trying to cross into Europe, with Greece constructing a 40km fence and a surveillance system. 

The European Union's interior ministers are also preparing to release a statement about the bloc's response to a possible influx of migration, according to a draft seen by Reuters, dated August 28.

"The EU and its member states stand determined to act jointly to prevent the recurrence of uncontrolled large-scale illegal migration movements faced in the past, by preparing a coordinated and orderly response," it said.

The document did not specify what the EU's response would be.

"The EU should also strengthen the support to the countries in Afghanistan's immediate neighborhood to ensure those in need receive adequate protection primarily in the region," it added.

The ministers will meet for an emergency meeting on Tuesday.

Those left behind 

Several European countries are negotiating with the Taliban to make sure people eligible for resettlement will be able to leave Afghanistan after the U.S. pulls out on August 31.

For example, there are reportedly between 800 and more than 1,000 Afghan citizens eligible for resettlement in the UK still in the country.

Germany, France and the UK are planning to propose creating a safe zone around Kabul's airport at an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Monday so that people will still be able to leave the country.

The Taliban has reportedly promised 100 countries that their nationals and Afghan citizens with valid travel documents will be able to leave Afghanistan.

The U.S. is also investigating if civilians were killed in an airstrike against a car reportedly carrying explosives to Kabul's airport, which it is guarding until it pulls out on August 31.

The airport is on high alert after an attack by the so-called Islamic State (ISIL) killed scores of people trying to leave the country last week.

But according to CNN, a family, including six children, were killed in the strike. Local media also reported the airstrike had killed civilians.