The White House has reportedly reached a deal with Turkey that secures the release of detained American evangelical pastor Andrew Brunson.

Brunson, who has been imprisoned in Turkey since 2016, is expected to be freed after terrorism-related charges laid against him are dropped during his next court appearance on Friday, NBC News reported Thursday.

Spokespeople for the White House and the State Department did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner's requests for comments. Sources told NBC News the Trump administration was exercising caution, since a similar agreement fell apart a couple of months ago.

This new deal, advanced via sideline discussions at September's United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York, appears to be predicated on the U.S. easing economic pressure it has placed on Turkey.

The two countries have clashed over their respective treatment of Brunson and Fetullah Gulen, a Pennsylvania-based cleric whom Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses of helping incite a 2016 coup attempt.

Brunson, a 50-year-old missionary from North Carolina, has also been accused of being involved in efforts to overthrow Erdogan's government. He is standing trial for charges regarding espionage and collusion with terrorist organizations after allegedly assisting insurgents in 2016.

Relations have been further deteriorated amid disagreements over a strategy to fight the Islamic State in Syria, which borders on Turkey, and the issue of human rights under Erdogan's regime.