Boris Johnson meets Syrian refugees during Turkey visit

Boris Johnson has met with Syrian refugees during the first day of his official visit to Turkey.

After arriving in Gaziantep, the Foreign Secretary toured a nursery and spoke to families at the Nizip refugee camp.

Mr Johnson was also escorted to a site where UN aid trucks are stationed, before he watched a group of Syrians training in detecting and disposing of improvised explosive devices.

Turkey has taken in nearly three million refugees and is pressing for a safe zone on the Syrian side of the border to house those fleeing war.

Mr Johnson is set to travel to Ankara on Tuesday for talks with Turkish officials.

The Foreign Secretary is also expected to meet President Erdogan, just months after he penned a crude poem in which he labelled the Turkish leader a "terrific w*******".

The subsequent fallout prompted Turkish prime minister Binali Yildirim to say that Mr Johnson needs to "make it up with the Turks".

However, Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman said Downing Street expected the Foreign Secretary to receive "an extremely warm welcome" in Turkey.

Mr Johnson, who has Turkish ancestry, received £1,000 after scooping top prize in The Spectator's 'President Erdogan Offensive Poetry Competition'.

The winning entry, written two months before he was appointed Foreign Secretary, read: "There was a young fellow from Ankara.

"Who was a terrific w*******.

"Till he sowed his wild oats. With the help of a goat. But he didn't even stop to thankera."

The competition was launched after Mr Erdogan complained over jokes made about him by German comedian Jan Boehmermann.

Angela Merkel ordered an investigation into the comedian, prompting Mr Johnson to accuse the German Chancellor of "an outrageous infringement of free speech".