Merkel - Want close defence cooperation with Britain after Brexit

VILNIUS (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday that she wanted the European Union to have a close relationship with Britain when it leaves the bloc and added that the allies should work together closely on security and defence in the future.

"We want good, reliable ties with Britain - we want close cooperation in the fields of security and defence policy and we want cooperation between the 27 member states of the European Union and Britain but it's also up to Britain how it wants to define its relationship with the European Union," she said during a news conference in Vilnius.

(Reporting by Andrius Sytas; Writing by Michelle Martin; Editing by Joseph Nasr)