During the recent G-20 gathering in Buenos Aires, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met on the margins to discuss what's arguably the most delicate issue in their bilateral relations in Syria: Idlib. The next day, Dec. 2, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Rossiya 1 TV the two leaders had agreed on additional steps to boost their ailing effort to maintain an Idlib demilitarized zone.

The two presidents had signed comprehensive Idlib agreements Sept. 17 in Sochi, Russia, but deadlines for implementing parts of the pact have come and gone. Russia backs the Syrian regime while Turkey supports opposition groups. Though the demilitarized zone separates the two, shelling continues between the regime and extremist militias that Turkey was supposed to have cleared from the area by Oct. 15.

In Buenos Aires, "They agreed on further steps aimed at honoring the agreement to create this demilitarized zone, but simultaneously to take measures so the extremists don't try to sabotage this vital agreement, which everyone has welcomed," Lavrov said. “They noted that despite the active and consistent steps of our Turkish colleagues, still not all extremists have met the demand to leave the 20-kilometer [12-mile] demilitarized zone."

Lavrov didn't specify what actions are planned, but had Erdogan raised the idea with Putin of holding yet another summit on Syria.