Mike Pence

The Russian Foreign Ministry has reacted to what it called "another series of anti-Russian statements" made in Podgorica by US Vice President Mike Pence.

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Monday held a meeting with US Ambassador Kyle Scott at which they agreed that Vucic's visit to Washington on invitation from US Vice President Mike Pence was a significant encouragement to continued cooperation and development of political and economic ties between the two countries.

Albanian PM Edi Rama has taken his casual style to yet another official gathering - this time, the US-Adriatic Charter Summit, held in Montenegro on Wednesday.

The summit was attended by US Vice President Mike Pence and several regional prime ministers, including Rama, who showed up wearing a suit, and a pair of sneakers.

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic met on Wednesday with US Vice President Michael Pence on the sidelines of the Summit of the US-Adriatic Charter (A5) in Podgorica.

US Vice President Mike Pence claimed that Russia wants to destabilise the Balkan region and was to blame for an alleged attempt to overthrow the Montenegrin government last year.

US Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday that the future of the Western Balkans lay "in the West", on the last leg of a tour aimed at reassuring Eastern European allies worried by Russia.

After visiting Baltic state Estonia and the Caucasus nation of Georgia, Pence arrived on Tuesday in NATO's newest member Montenegro on the Adriatic Sea.

American Vice President Mike Pence praised Montenegro's NATO membership as a "historical achievement" during a meeting with Montenegrin Prime Minister Dusko Markovic in Podgorica on Wednesday.

"NATO is made up of big and small states, but the US does not have small allies," Pence said, adding that his visit illustrates the US' support for the Western Balkans.

Montenegrin PM Dusko Markovic on Wednesday welcomed US Vice President Mike Pence, and made a minor mistake in his welcoming speech.

While announcing discussions about economic topics during the Adriatic Charger Summit in Podgorica today, Markovic said the event was held "in the Clinton Hotel" - instead of the Hilton, where Pence is also staying.

Mike Pence said in Podgorica on Tuesday that Montenegro is playing "the leading role in advancing stability and security of the Western Balkans."

Beta reported this citing a statement issued by the Montenegrin government, which also quoted the US vice president as saying that the country's "courage in the phase of Russian pressure inspires the world."

US Vice President Mike Pence praised Montenegrin leaders on August 1 for standing up to "Russian pressure" on his final stop of an Eastern European tour aimed at reassuring US allies in the region.

Pence arrived in the tiny Balkan nation, NATO's newest member, after a visit to Georgia, where he slammed Russia's "occupation" of the Caucasus nation's territory.