Finland’s parliament votes yes to NATO

HELSINKI, Might 17 (Reuters) - Finland's parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly authorised a proposal to apply for membership of the NATO army alliance in a historic coverage shift prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

President Sauli Niinisto and the government decided formally on Sunday that Finland would apply for membership however the decision was pending parliament's approval.

Of the 200 lawmakers, 188 voted in favour and eight against the applying, Speaker Matti Vanhanen mentioned.

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Overseas Minister Pekka Haavisto mentioned the choice was no purpose to have a good time as a result of "there's battle in Europe".

"Finland's membership in NATO won't change our basic thinking that we'll at all times seek peaceable solutions and we're a peace-loving nation that may initially search diplomatic options to each battle," he mentioned throughout the debate.

Opponents to the application included some lawmakers from the Left Alliance, a part of Finland's five-party coalition, amongst them Markus Mustajarvi who challenged the decision with a counter proposal leading to it being put to the vote.

"Our border would change into the border between the army alliance and Russia. New tensions would not be a threat only during the application course of but moderately a new and everlasting condition of our overseas and safety policy," he mentioned.

Early on Tuesday, the international affairs committee decided to hitch the state leadership in proposing to parliament that the Nordic nation should apply for membership.

"Having heard a really massive number of consultants and having acquired the opinions of 10 (parliamentary) committees, the international affairs committee agrees with the federal government that Finland ought to apply for membership in NATO. This decision is unanimous," chairman Jussi Halla-aho informed reporters.

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Reporting by Anne Kauranen; Modifying by Robert Birsel and Alison Williams

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