President Zoran Milanovic's statement who called on blocking Sweden and Finland from joining NATO "will not change the good relations between Croatia and Finland," Finland's ambassador to Zagreb, Kalle Kankaanpaa, told state agency Hina on Wednesday.

“I don’t think anything will change in relations between Croatia and Finland,” Kankanpaa said, adding that the two countries’ bilateral relations have always been “good at all levels.”

“I have been here as Finland’s ambassador for more than a year. I closely follow politics in this country and I am familiar with the way politics are run in Croatia,” he said.

Kankaanpaa explained that Finland’s Foreign Minister, Pekka Haavisto, had a “good conversation” with his Croatian counterpart, Gordan Grlic-Radman, about this, and that he himself “had contacts with representatives of the Parliament and the government.”

“In Finland, there is an active debate going on whether the country should join NATO or not, and the final decision can be expected in May,” he said.

On Tuesday, Croatian President Zoran Milanovic told reporters that Finland and Sweden should be blocked by Croatia from joining NATO unless the US steps in to change the election law in Bosnia and Herzegovina to the benefit of Bosnian Croats. He also described the potential NATO membership for Finland and Sweden as a “very dangerous adventure.”

In Croatia, the head of state is largely a ceremonial role and has little effect on politics or international agreements. NATO membership for any future members must be ratified by all existing countries, and in Croatia this is done through Parliament, which is controlled by the conservative HDZ party led by Prime Minister, Andrej Plenkovic.

However, one of the few powers the head of state has is the formal title of the commander-in-chief of armed forces. Since becoming President in February 2020, Milanovic – formerly Prime Minister and leader of the Social Democrats – has become known for provocative statements and rants usually involving bickering with PM Plenkovic or his ministers.

In late January, as Russian forces began amassing on Ukrainian border, Milanovic dismissed the notion of Ukraine becoming part of the NATO alliance and in early February accused Western countries of “warmongering” in Ukraine.

His statements also earned him inclusion into the infamous Ukrainian Myrotvorets online blacklist which publishes information about people deemed “enemies of Ukraine,” where he has been accused of “disseminating Russian propaganda.”