ISTANBUL, July 27 (AFP) - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday he would ask Iran to put Turkish Kurd rebels on its list of terrorist groups as he hailed a recent improvement in bilateral ties ahead of a trip to Tehran.
"We will reiterate our demand that the terrorist organization is included on the terror list," Erdogan told reporters here before flying to Iran for a two-day visit starting Wednesday.
He was referring to the former Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a 15-year separatist war on Ankara in predominantly Kurdish southeast Turkey.
The group, now known as KONGRA-GEL, ended a five-year unilateral ceasefire with the government on June 1.
Turkey and Iran have recently boosted their cooperation on security matters, including against the PKK.
Prior to Erdogan's visit, Iranian security forces this month launched a major crackdown on PKK militants hiding on Iranian territory along the border with Turkey, in which 10 rebels and two Iranian soldiers were killed.
Iran also has a Kurdish minority and shares Turkey's concerns that any moves towards greater autonomy by the Kurds in northern Iraq could spark unrest among their cousins in neighboring countries.
Erdogan said economic cooperation would also be high on the agenda of his talks with Iranian leaders, noting that the two countries should double the current bilateral trade volume of 2.5 billion dollars in the mid-term.
A disagreement over the price of natural gas Turkey is importing from Iran as well as a dispute over a contract on the operation of a Tehran airport by a Turkish-led consortium were also expected to be discussed.
Ankara and Tehran have improved ties in recent years after a chilly period during which the two sides accused each other of sheltering their respective dissidents.
Turkish officials had also accused Iran of aiming to "export the Islamic revolution" to Turkey, a mainly Muslim but strictly secular nation.
"There has been improvement both in our political and economic relations with Iran in the past several years... We will explore ways and opportunities of further imrpoving our cooperation in all fields," Erdogan said.
A group of about 130 businessmen is traveling with the Turkish prime minister on his trip.