The leader of the Bosnian Croat HDZ party, Dragan Covic, said on Wednesday that the process of Bosnia and Herzegovina drawing closer to NATO could not be stopped and that the Croats would lead the way.

“We get closer to NATO every day and this process cannot be stopped regardless of the fact that some would like to stop it and send a different message about the current situation in Europe, Russia’s bloody war of aggression against Ukraine, or about the situation in the region,” Covictold a press conference in Mostar when asked to comment on the announcement by Bosnian Serb authorities that they would break off their contacts with NATO.

On Tuesday, Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik announced that he would forbid Bosnian Serb officials to have any contacts with NATO officials, saying he did not want any cooperation with the Western military alliance.

Addressing a press conference in Banja Luka, Dodik said he would be resolute in his efforts to prevent Bosnia and Herzegovina from joining NATO.

Covic, who also heads the Croat National Assembly, an umbrella organisation bringing together the largest Croat political parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina, stressed that NATO and EU membership was the key element of their foreign policy.

“Euro-Atlantic integration is key to us and has no alternative,” Covic said, adding that he was aware of different views in Bosnia and Herzegovina towards NATO membership, but that the country was making progress towards this goal on a daily basis.