"The US president assured us we are still part of the Euro-Atlantic area," Prime Minister Jan Fischer told reporters after Obama dined in Prague with the leaders of 11 countries in the region.

Obama met leaders from Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia -- all NATO-member countries from central and eastern Europe.

He said the countries' NATO membership "created a climate for sharing the same values and taking responsibility for their fulfilment and protection," Fischer added.

The dinner was only hours after Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a landmark deal cutting the two countries' stockpiles of nuclear warheads, and also included discussion on NATO's mission in Afghanistan.

"The president also said it was necessary to build our relationship to Russia on the principles of mutual trust and absolute transparency," he added.

Since the fall of communism, countries in the region have been particularly sensitive to any hints of Russia's growing influence.

Such fears were heightened last September when Obama announced he was scrapping a George W. Bush-era plan to deploy a missile shield in the Czech Republic and Poland, seen as a serious threat by Moscow.

The move especially upset Czech right-wingers loyal to the United States, who felt betrayed as the Obama administration gave up a radar base in the Czech Republic while pushing on with a reconfigured missile shield in neighbouring Poland.

On the other hand, Czech pundits said the move ultimately made Prague an attractive venue for the signing ceremony.

Fischer said Thursday's talks only touched on missile defence "very briefly".

The participants "voiced interest in building efficient and absolutely transparent relations with Russia," added Fischer.

The dinner took place in the residence of the US ambassador to Prague -- whom the Obama administration has not named since Richard Graber quit in January 2009.

But the Czech foreign ministry said in a statement that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had pledged to fill the vacancy "within weeks" during an encounter with her Czech counterpart Jan Kohout in Prague on Thursday.

Obama arrived in Prague on Thursday morning, held a one-on-one with Medvedev, signed the new pact and had a ceremonial lunch with the Russian leader and Czech President Vaclav Klaus.

On Friday, he will hold a joint summit with Klaus and Fischer before returning to Washington.

Medvedev left Prague on Thursday afternoon.

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