German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that she wants the European Union to have a close relationship with Britain when it leaves the bloc. The allies should work together closely on security and defense in the future, the chancellor said on Friday in Vilnius, Lithuania. “We want good, reliable ties with Britain – we want close cooperation in the fields of security and defense policy,” Merkel said during a news conference. “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 EU.”