Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has called on the EU to "do all it can to support" Turkey which is currently hosting 4 million refugees.

"I believe that Turkey has taken over the great burden of hosting 4 million refugees. That should always be recognized by the international community and the EU should do all it can to support our neighbor," said the Greek premier in an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency.

A Turkey-EU refugee deal reached in March 2016 aims to discourage irregular migration to Europe through the Aegean Sea.

"As a result [of the deal], illegal flows and especially deaths in the Aegean, drastically decreased," Tsipras said. 

The deal included a €6-billion ($6.8-billion) aid package to help Turkey care for millions of refugees in the country. However, Turkey has so far received only a part of the committed amount. The agreement also allowed for the acceleration of Turkey’s EU membership bid and visa-free travel for Turkish nationals within the Schengen area.

Tsipras also said Turkey and Greece should "intensify" their cooperation regarding the refugee flow since "the Greek islands have been overburdened in the last few years".

The prime minister also claimed his country has one of the fastest asylum procedures and they are "working hard" to make it more effective. Some European leaders, such as Angela Merkel, blamed the Greek side for the deal not "working properly".

"The EU, for its part, has to find a way to strengthen the support it shows to countries that are the most affected from the flow and to reject agendas that are not compatible with European law or humanitarian principles," Tsipras said.