United States President Barack Obama has asked the US Congress to work with his administration for the closure of the much-criticised terrorist detention centre at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba, the continuation of which he argued is not in America's national interest.

"The Guantanamo detention facility's continued operation undermines our national security. We must close it. I call on members from both sides of the aisle to work with us to bring this chapter of American history to a close," the US president said in a statement.

Obama said he has repeatedly called upon the Congress to work with his administration to close the detention facility at Guantanamo once and for all. "As I have said many times, the continued operation of this detention facility weakens our national security by draining resources, damaging our relationships with key allies and partners, and emboldening violent extremists. Closing the detention facility is a national imperative," he said.