Greece can act as a conduit for establishing economic, trade and energy ties between Iran and the European Union, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in Tehran on Sunday, on the first day of a two-day visit to Iran.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is visiting Ankara to discuss measures to stem the flow of refugees bound for Europe, as tens of thousands of Syrians remained stranded at the border with Turkey after fleeing a Russia-backed government offensive in Aleppo.