Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar spoke by phone with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu March 10 about the progress of the bipartisan protocol over Idlib that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed in Moscow on March 5.

Earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu confirmed that the Russian military delegation arrived in Turkey to discuss concrete parameters of the security corridor along the M4 highway, a strategic roadway that traverses Syria east to west through Idlib province. The parties will also discuss details for joint Russian-Turkish military patrols of the highway from the settlement of Trumba (roughly a mile to the west of Saraqeb) to the settlement of Ain al-Havr.

Why it matters: Ever since Putin and Erdogan agreed on terms for a new deal on Idlib, both parties have eyed reinforcing their own positions in Syria amid the holding cease-fire.

Erdogan flew to Brussels to demand “concrete support” from his NATO allies in Syria. His pledge was meant to be felt by the Europeans as thousands of refugees flocked to the border with Greece after Turkey said it would no longer keep them on its soil.