European Council President Donald Tusk and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday agreed to continue close cooperation for a stronger defense.

The two leaders agreed in a meeting that a strong NATO ensures stability in Europe, and a stronger Europe also contributes to a strong NATO.

The meeting took place two days after Donald Tusk assumed his new functions, and they discussed defense budgets as well as other security issues.

They also discussed the situation in Ukraine and its impact on Euro-Atlantic stability.

The NATO chief noted that in Wales summit, the ministers agreed to stop the cuts in their defense budgets and gradually increase them when economies recover and to invest better by cooperating more. The European Council next year will be a crucial stepping stone to meeting this pledge.

Tusk said the EU fully supports the anti-Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) coalition. The EU is working on a long-term strategy for the region which will bring together the EU and its member states and also address the root causes of this regional crisis.

They called for NATO and the European Union to continue to work in mutually reinforcing ways, "so that in a dangerous world, we can and must be stronger together."

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