ROME, Ramadan 21, 1437, June 26, 2016, SPA -- Citing the need to address the threat from Islamic State and conflicts from Libya to Syria, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday that the United States, European Union and Britain must cooperate closely despite Britain's decision to leave the EU, Reuters reported. "There is a continuing criticality to this relationship, and one of the things that I want to emphasize in coming here today to Europe is how important the relationship of Europe, the EU, is to the United States and to the world," Kerry said in remarks with Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni. At the same time, Kerry said he and Obama are "absolutely convinced that we will be able to work through this in a sensible, thoughtful way that takes the best strengths of the EU, the best strengths of the marketplace, the best interests of our national security and international security, and works to keep them moving in the right direction for our countries." --SPA 16:29 LOCAL TIME 13:29 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w