Since the start of the Syrian civil war, Turkey has outshined any other nation by welcoming millions fleeing the atrocities of the Bashar Assad regime. Over the past seven years, Turkey has received more than 3.5 million Syrians out of the estimated 6 million that have left the country to escape the violence.

Turkey has provided excellent facilities that have received acclaim from international relief agencies. Turkey's generosity also has included free health care for all the migrants and today, it is educating 600,000 Syrian children in its schools. This gigantic task has forced Turkey to spend $35 billion of its taxpayers' money.

But that is not all. Turkey has also helped Syrians inside their own country in areas the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) liberated and cleansed of PKK-affiliated terrorists as well as Daesh killers. Turkey has provided social services and relief through its agencies.

In return, United Nations-related relief for Syrian migrants in Turkey has only been around $600 million. The European Union led by Germany has promised to provide 6 billion euros in two separate slices but that money has been slow in coming and has been attached to projects, rendering the relief meaningless.

In return, Turkey has served as a damn, holding back the wave of refugees from invading Europe. In the past, hundreds and even thousands of migrants were crossing Turkish territory, forcing their way to northern Europe through the Aegean Sea and the Balkans. With the effective measures taken by the Turkish administration of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey has effectively halted the flow. We have served as a buffer for Europe, receiving much applause but little else.

Yet, like every dam, there is a limit to the volume the structure can hold. This is what German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her colleagues in the German administration and the EU need to understand.

In the past year, the world has changed and the challenges of the international scene have become more demanding. Under these circumstances, it has become even harder to provide high-quality services and facilities to Syrians living in Turkey as guests. Yet, Turkey is making the necessary sacrifices to help these unfortunate souls.

Yet, there is a limit. With little or no help, this cannot continue as it has in the past. Pressure is building in Syria that may force even more people to flee the country. If this happens, it is not only Turkey that faces a giant challenge but also western Europe.

Turkey has worked hard to forge a peaceful diplomatic solution to the crisis in the Syrian northern province of Idlib and thus reduced the danger of more migrants flooding across the border; but there are still people who want to leave Syria and seek salvation in Turkey and Europe.

You cannot say "let Turkey shoulder the burden and let us live in peace in our cozy surroundings in Europe." Everyone has to shoulder this burden and help Turkey out. This is the central issue that will be discussed in Berlin when Erdoğan sits down with Merkel for frank discussions.

Our dam is full and in danger of overflowing. This is what our friends and allies in Europe need to understand so they can address the problem sincerely. Failure to do this means millions of migrants may flood Europe. We don't want that, do we?