Trump says 'good progress' being made on deal between Armenia, Azerbaijan

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that progress is being made on reaching an agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan amid escalating violence in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

"We are talking about it, we are working with Armenia," Trump said. "We have a very good relationship with Armenia. They are very good people, they are so dedicated. They are incredible people and we'll see what happens... I think really good progress is being made with respect to that."

Trump pointed out that many Armenians live in the United States, whom he characterized as "great people," and said Washington will help them.

Earlier on Friday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held separate talks with the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Washington to discuss ways to stop the hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Neither minister has confirmed the possibility of a face-to-face meeting during their visits to Washington.

Pompeo said earlier this week that he was anxious to hear from the two diplomats how they might get closer to resolving the conflict.

Armed hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh have been ongoing since September 27. The parties have since agreed to two humanitarian ceasefires, however, both were broken mere hours after entering into force. The warring sides have continued to accuse each other of provocations and attacks on civilian settlements. The tensions originally began when the region broke off from the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic in 1988.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the death toll after more than three weeks of violence has reached nearly 5,000.