Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, came together for the first time in 18 months in the Russian Black Sea city of Sochi Sept. 29 for talks that were expected to focus on resurging tensions in Syria’s rebel-held province of Idlib.

The two leaders had last met on March 5, 2020, in Moscow to hammer out a cease-fire deal after a violent escalation in Idlib that claimed the lives of scores of Turkish soldiers. Erdogan and Putin have had 26 face-to-face meetings since a severe crisis in bilateral ties over Turkey’s downing of a Russian jet in November 2015.

In footage made available to the media, the two leaders appeared to enjoy a relaxed conversation ahead of their meeting in Sochi, which, surprisingly, ended without a press conference.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Erdogan said, “I especially believe that it will be highly beneficial to continue to further strengthen the Turkey-Russia relations. Our joint steps regarding Syria are of great importance. Peace over there depends on Turkey-Russia relations.” He emphasized the importance of cooperation in the defense industry and signaled that Turkey would continue to collaborate with Russia on the S-400 air defense systems, the purchase of which has earned Ankara US sanctions. Putin, for his part, stressed the importance of economic ties with Turkey. Both leaders steered clear of problematic topics in their statements to the press.