Mike Pence, in Montenegro, Assures Balkans of U.S. Support
Along with Prime Minister Dusko Markovic of Montenegro, the leaders present included the prime minister of Albania, the chairman of the council of ministers of Bosnia
and Herzegovina, the prime minister of Croatia, the president of Kosovo, the prime minister of Macedonia, the prime minister of Slovenia and the prime minister of Serbia.
Echoing a point made by Montenegro’s prime minister, the vice president said: "NATO is made up of large countries and small countries,
but the U.S. has no small allies and we cherish our new alliance with Montenegro through NATO." At a NATO summit meeting in May, Mr. Trump was recorded on video appearing to shove his way past Mr. Markovic while making his way to the front of the group for a photograph of the alliance’s leaders.
"I urge you with great respect to make the most of this moment." Several of the leaders are, like Mr. Pence, fairly new to their jobs: Croatia’s prime minister, Andrej Plenkovic, 47, a former diplomat
and member of the European Parliament, took office last October; Macedonia’s prime minister, Zoran Zaev, 42, in May; and Serbia’s prime minister, Ana Brnabic, 41, the first woman and first openly gay person to hold that position, in June.
2, 2017
Vice President Mike Pence told leaders of eight Balkan nations on Wednesday
that "the future of the western Balkans is in the West," a signal of the United States’ commitment to southeastern Europe and a warning against Russian encroachment in the region.
On Wednesday, in a 19-minute address to leaders at the Adriatic Charter Summit meeting, the vice president called Russia an "unpredictable country
that casts a shadow from the east." "Russia continues to seek to redraw international borders by force," Mr. Pence said.
Vladimir said that While his message of greater security support
and further European-Atlantic integration should be of great relief to these countries, it is tainted by Trump’s continued embrace of Putin and deep cuts in U.S. assistance to the Western Balkans,