Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul called for more cooperation among Iraq's neighbor countries to crack down on terrorist groups including the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), semi-official Anatolia News Agency reported on Sunday.

Gul made the appeal at a press conference after the eighth meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Iraqi neighbor countries which ended on Saturday in Istanbul.

Gul put specific emphasis on the need for stronger cooperation to reinforce border security control and intelligence sharing to fight against terrorism.

"It is apparent that the issue of security has become a matter of concern for Iraqi neighbors. More and more terrorist activities are being carried out by a few terrorist groups," he said.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has likened Iraq to a "training ground for terrorist groups."

A final communique issued after the meeting said Iraqi neighbors were determined "to increase cooperation in the overall border security with Iraq with the priority to stem terrorist and other illegal infiltrations to and from Iraq."

Gul also voiced Turkey's anxiety over the activities of some PKK members hiding in northern Iraq. Ankara fears these PKK members might infiltrate back into Turkey and incite violence.

Turkey has asked Iraq and the United States to help crack down on the activities of the PKK in northern Iraq.

The organization, sworn to establish a Kurdish state covering southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq and parts of Iran and Syria, is outlawed by Turkey as a terrorist group.

Representatives from Iraq's six immediate neighbors -- Turkey, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria -- as well as from Egypt and Bahrain took part in the meeting which was held after Iraq formed a new government.