U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen (L) sit in the front row waiting for U.S. President Donald Trump to announce his nominee for the empty associate justice seat at the U.S. Supreme Court, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S. January 31, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

BERLIN (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has accepted an invitation to attend the Feb. 17-19 Munich Security Conference, conference organizers said on Friday.

The conference in southern Germany will take place against a backdrop of uncertainty about transatlantic relations after U.S. President Donald Trump said he viewed NATO as obsolete and criticized Chancellor Angela Merkel’s policies.