U.S. President Barack Obama has told Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan he hoped to strengthen ties with their country and expressed support for Turkey's growing relationship with Iraq, the White House said on Monday.

Obama spoke to the two men by phone earlier in the day.

"In both calls, the leaders discussed a number of current issues, including U.S. support for the growing Turkish-Iraqi relationship, the importance of cooperation in Middle East peace efforts, and the U.S. review on Afghanistan and Pakistan policy," the White House said in a statement.

Turkey has repeatedly attacked hideouts of Kurdish separatists in the northern mountainous region of Iraq.

The White House said Obama emphasized the importance of the U.S.-Turkey alliance and expressed his desire to work on a "broad agenda" of mutual strategic interest.

"The President emphasized his desire to strengthen U.S.-Turkish relations and to work together effectively in NATO," the statement said.